VR for Safety Training: How Does is Work?

In refineries, it’s making waves as a new form of training, taking the overwhelm out of learning on the job.

Through a headset, trainees can go through safety, process, and maintenance training, all of which springs to life (albeit digitally) in front of their very eyes.

Unlike traditional training, such as courses, seminars, and bulky manuals, VR offers a practical experience for workers entering hazardous environments.

Actively taking new employees to a potentially dangerous site to train them could end in disaster. But, with VR, trainees can immerse themselves in a digital recreation of the site without facing any harm.

Most VR technologies being used in refineries have been specifically designed to foster and nurture natural interactions while eliminating the high costs of real-life field training.

Here’s how training via VR works.

Take the Overwhelm Out of Training

Starting a new job involves a lot of new information for workers, particularly in environments like refineries where there are multiple pieces of equipment, hundreds of processes, and potentially hazardous situations.

As a result, the training process can be incredibly overwhelming.

This leads to trainees shutting down and not reacting in the right way when presented with hypothetical scenarios.

With VR, users can re-play advanced procedures which are played out in front of them and retain key information much quicker.

Provide Training For Dangerous Situations

The last thing you want to do is drop inexperienced employees into a dangerous situation.

VR allows training for hazardous environments without trainees having to be there in person.

Certain scenarios which are too complex for conventional teaching methods can be realized, helping trainees get a deeper understanding of what needs to be done in what order.

Design Specific Modules

One of the biggest benefits of VR for training is its ability to adapt to your site needs.

Each tutorial or procedure can be designed modularly, which means updating procedures and making modifications is really easy.

On top of that, the trainer has full control of the scenario that’s playing out.

They can simulate different operations, issues, or hazards to show trainees the best courses of action. This means that the trainer can give orders, activate certain events, and control equipment and scenarios in the VR world, including the values of instruments and potential equipment failures.

Trainees can be awarded points based on their reactions to scenarios or even get points deducted if they don’t respond to a hazard in the right way.

This kind of gamification makes the learning process far more exciting than sitting in a stuffy room reading from a textbook or a manual.

VR for training in refineries has huge potential.

The digital 3D environment familiarizes trainees with their new workspace and gives them the chance to respond to scenarios without physically being in danger’s way.

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