# Boosting Safety Protocol Compliance with Eye-Tracking in Chemical Plants
## 2 Materials and Methods
### Experiment Process  
To evaluate the effects of training conditions on operational performance, participants were required to complete three critical tasks within a high-risk chemical process environment: quality testing, material mixing, and anomaly handling. The quality testing phase involved identifying the properties of the raw material, mixing the material, ensuring correct chemical ratios, and anomaly handling to assess the ability to respond to unexpected hazards such as overpressure or temperature fluctuations. Each session lasted approximately five minutes, followed by a five-minute post-task questionnaire assessing learning outcomes and user experience. To allow for an objective comparison, each participant completed two identical test sessions under their assigned training conditions, ensuring that both groups could be assessed on an equal basis. Figure 6: HCI function processing design. Participants interacted with the system using the HTC Vive Pro Eye VR headset, which provided immersive visual feedback. The VR environment replicated a chemical production scenario, where participants were tasked with identifying hazards and following safety protocols. The eye-tracking system continuously monitored participants' gaze patterns. When participants deviated from critical safety zones, the system triggered corrective visual feedback. Participants were instructed to focus on specific operational elements, and the system provided real-time guidance based on their gaze behavior. Feedback was delivered through the HCI interface, utilizing multimodal cues to improve attention focus and procedural adherence. This feedback loop was adaptive and adjusted based on the participants' gaze patterns throughout the training session. A Latin square design was implemented to control learning and memory effects, ensuring randomized task sequences for each participant. The full experiment was completed within a single workday, with mandatory five-minute breaks between scenarios to mitigate fatigue. To prevent task carryover effects, participants also completed informal simulation tasks that were unrelated to the formal data analysis. Before beginning the experiment, participants completed a demographic questionnaire to record gender, age, and prior chemical operation experience. The experimenter provided a standardized introduction to the chemical safety virtual simulation platform, allowing participants to familiarize themselves with the VR and eye-tracking system. A pre-test session was conducted in an informal scenario to ensure that all participants adapted to the virtual environment before engaging in formal testing. Following these preparatory steps, the experimenter delivered task instructions emphasizing safety adherence and procedural compliance to maintain experimental consistency. During the experiment, participants first adjusted the VR system to a comfortable operational position. They then completed three formal task scenarios, assigned in a randomized order according to the Latin square design, with each scenario lasting approximately five to ten minutes. The tasks involved performing raw material detection, mixing chemicals according to protocol, and responding to emergency situations such as hazardous spills or equipment malfunctions. Between scenarios, participants took mandatory five-minute breaks before engaging in an additional informal chemical operation task, which was not included in the final analysis but served to reduce memory bias. After completing all experimental tasks, the experimenter verified behavioral data records for completeness and accuracy to ensure that all results were valid. Upon successfully finishing the study, participants received monetary compensation of 50 RMB as a token of appreciation for their time and effort. This structured experimental approach ensured data consistency and validity while enabling a comprehensive assessment of how XR training and eye-tracking technology influence safety adherence and operational performance in hazardous industrial environments.