The Virtual Reality Age Has Arrived
Virtual Reality is being introduced to protect workers from injury, thanks to an innovative new tool introduced by a Scottish construction firm.
The past year or so has signalled the dawning of the Virtual Reality age. Last Christmas, the “must have” gift under everyone’s tree was one of the various VR gaming headsets that hit the shelves. However, Virtual Reality has other applications that are deadly serious.
Making the Safety Induction Virtually Real
In any industry, the safety induction is a part of the onboarding routine with which we are all familiar. In an office environment, it might be a simple 20 minute run through the health and safety signs, fire evacuation procedures and so on. In higher risk environments, however, there is naturally more to cover.
The construction industry is a case in point. It is the most high risk sector of them all from the perspective of workplace injuries, and while the UK has an exemplary safety record that is held up as a global benchmark, it is only maintained through constant innovation and continuous improvement.
One challenge is to ensure that those undergoing training remain “switched on” throughout what can be a long process. It is this area that the latest innovation from construction firm has set out to address.
Morrison Construction has teamed up with the University of West Scotland to create Virtual Reality site inductions for employees and contractors. VR has already been used in medicine to allow surgeons to practice their technique, and has been seen in the construction sector at the project planning stage. But this is the first time it has been used for health and safety.
Users are equipped with headsets and hand controls, which allow them to tour a virtual representation of the construction site and gain a realistic experience of the environment. This essentially allows them to encounter health and safety risks first hand, and learn from mistakes without being put at direct risk.
Shortlisted for award
The system is currently still at the trial stage, but when it goes fully live, it could revolutionise the construction sector’s approach to health and safety. Unsurprisingly, the broader industry is paying close attention, and the VR system has already been shortlisted for the Health and Safety Initiative of the Year award at this year’s Water Industry Awards.
The annual event will be held in May at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham, and is attended by all the major players in the UK water industry.
A successful partnership
Stephen Slessor is the Operations Director for Morrison Construction Scottish Water. He commented that health and safety is the company’s number one priority and he feels that VR technology will help them to strengthen what is an already strong record.
He also praised the spirit of cooperation between Morrison Construction and its local university. He described the project as: “A good example of the positive impact university-industry collaborations can have to address challenges in construction.”
Morrison’s virtual reality safety tool will be one of six finalists competing for the prestigious award at the ceremony that takes place on 21 May.