Evaluating the impact of mental workload on drillers’ risk perception using wearable eye-tracking technology
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Drilling accidents can lead to substantial financial losses, reputational damage, and even pose serious threats to human life. Existing research indicates that most drilling incidents are related to human factors, but the influence of mental workload on drillers’ risk perception in well control remains underexplored. To address this gap, the present study employed a Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) paradigm and eye-tracking technology to investigate the effects of cognitive load. A total of 48 drilling workers participated in simulated monitoring tasks under low and high workload conditions. The results demonstrated that eye-tracking indicators – including fixation, saccade, and pupil diameter measures – accurately reflect variations in mental workload. Furthermore, analysis of task performance and fixation entropy revealed that increased mental workload significantly impairs drillers’ ability to perceive well control risks. These findings not only support the broader application of eye-tracking technology in the oil drilling industry, but more importantly, provide a solid foundation for developing effective safety interventions and attention-guided training strategies to reduce drilling-related accidents.
Authors: Su Hao, Jiang Jiaxin, Fan Siping, Wang Jian, Xie Ruiying, Xu Lifei, Wang Xiaoqin, Qing Xin, Song Yuqi
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G3864005685, G7964296796
OpenAlex ID: W4416456463