Applications and effectiveness of augmented reality in safety training: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

•Exploring AR safety training solutions applied to thirteen industries.•Systematically reviewing 37 papers published between 2014 and February 2024.•Results indicate that AR has a significant positive impact on safety training.•No difference was found between AR and traditional training in knowledge acquisition.•There was a limited focus on measuring knowledge retention in the selected studies. Unsafe behaviors and hazardous conditions in the workplace could pose serious risks resulting in major accidents. Safety training is critical for enhancing personal safety awareness and reducing accident severity and numbers. Augmented Reality (AR) is an emerging technology that superimposes digital information onto the real-world environment, which can offer an active, immersive, and interactive learning environment, making it a promising tool for safety training. However, to date, there is limited research that systematically evaluates the application and effectiveness of AR safety training. This study aims to comprehensively explore the application and effectiveness of AR safety training solutions in various industries, excluding the military and medicine. To achieve this, a systematic analysis of 37 papers published between 2014 and February 2024 was conducted. Our analysis addresses eight research questions. The results indicate that existing AR applications cover thirteen domains, with the construction, manufacturing, and transportation industries being the most common domains. The results also indicate a limited focus on measuring knowledge retention in the selected studies. Additionally, there is a lack of comparison between different AR hardware and display technologies. Two meta-analyses were carried out and they reveal that AR technology has a significant positive impact on safety training. However, no significant difference in knowledge acquisition was observed between AR training and traditional training. These findings have implications for future research and applications of AR safety training.