SafetyCloud has launched its Virtual Reality (VR) training solution, marking a significant step into the future of training in the OHS space
Trialling from 1st November 2024, SafetyCloud courses offering supplementary VR training experiences included in the First Aid Level 1, Basic Firefighting, and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) classroom-based courses at the Centurion, Tyger Valley and Westville NOSA Colleges. Plans are afoot to roll out to further courses and colleges soon.
Building on SafetyCloud’s existing e-learning and 360-degree experiences, such as SAMTRAC, the VR experience provides an immersive and engaging way to enhance what learners have already learned.
It blends technology with real-life case studies and is specifically designed to be a group activity, fostering collaboration and collective learning, and enabling learners to engage with the content in a more dynamic and interactive way.
Selected learners use VR equipment to simulate real-world health and safety scenarios. The experience is then shared with the rest of the class, and displayed on a screen for everyone to see. This approach complements SafetyCloud’s practical content, rather than replacing them.
By incorporating VR into learning, the aim is to enhance the experience, increase engagement, and improve knowledge retention.
Insights
Virtual reality is well-known for teaching complex skills and offering realistic simulations, transforming the training landscape, particularly for high-risk activities.
A recent study found that VR safety training outperforms traditional safety training, with learners demonstrating a significant increase in confidence to apply what they’ve learned. In fact, VR learners can be trained up to four times faster and are more emotionally connected to the training content, the study, posted on research platform ScienceDirect, noted.
Leading audit and assurance firms, PricewaterhouseCoopers has put out several reports looking at VR training in recent years. PwC estimates that VR training will contribute $294 billion to the global economy by 2030. Globally, many industries are already making use of VR to replicate high-risk and complex environments, including health and safety and asset maintenance simulation training. Another of their studies found that learners who undergo VR training demonstrate up to a 275% increase in confidence to apply what they’ve learned, they can be trained up to four times faster, they are more emotionally connected to VR training content, and they are four times more focused during training.
By simulating real-world scenarios, VR enables employees to practice and apply skills in a controlled environment, reducing the risk of accidents and injuries while improving knowledge retention.
Improving Competency Through Practical Application
Effective safety training is a challenge for many organisations, with common obstacles including scheduling time, verifying authenticity, and determining retraining options. However, SafetyCloud’s latest technological innovation is geared towards making workplace training more accessible and less challenging for learners and business owners alike.
With VR, learners can practice and apply skills in a controlled environment, reducing the risk of accidents and injuries while improving knowledge retention.
In Fire and Rescue Services, VR training systems allow response teams to enter accurate virtual replicas of buildings and environments primed with different emergency scenarios. Teams can repeatedly practice optimal fire extinguishing techniques and safe victim removal processes to ensure the optimal procedure.
Workers in the mining, construction and building sectors face numerous risks in their daily tasks, with some situations putting themselves and their colleagues in danger. With the help of VR, workers can obtain the necessary training and upskilling to safely experience and prepare for hazards commonly faced underground or on site.
The Future Of Safety Training
As the industry leader in occupational health, safety, and environmental training, SafetyCloud has been at the forefront of OHS training in South Africa for over 70 years.
With our VR- supported courses, we’re creating more engaging, accessible, and effective learning experiences – equipping learners to remember information better, engage more deeply with the material, and apply their knowledge more effectively in real-world situations.
Stay ahead of the curve and experience the future of OHS training by booking one of SafetyCloud’s VR training-supported courses now.
Preparing for the Future: Our Subject Matter Expert testing the VR Technology at NOSA College Centurion, Tyger Valley and Westville – September/October 2024, South Africa.