5th March 2019 in News Story

VIRTUAL REALITY POWERS-UP EMPLOYEE SAFETY

SIMULATION specialist NSC is enhancing the safety of electricians responsible for distributing power to more than 3.1 million customers in Romania.

The UK-based firm has developed a Virtual Reality (VR) training system for Delgaz Grid SA, a Romanian national power provider, that enables its technicians to practise complex maintenance and repair procedures without risk.

Putting the health and safety of its employees at the forefront, Delgaz Grid SA now uses a VR headset and hand controllers to immerse its electricians in scenarios that accurately represent the complex tasks and sequences associated with maintaining a national power supply.

NSC worked closely with Delgaz technical staff to develop the highly-realistic environment, which can be tailored to address any current or future gaps in training identified by lessons from the field.

Jeremy Spurr, NSC’s CEO, said the development of the VR trainer had benefited from his company’s wealth of experience of blending technology and training within the Defence sector.

“The trick is to adapt the most appropriate technology to enhance training outcomes and make training more effective,” he added. “Purchasing an off-the-shelf system will not always work, but collaborative development does.

“For industries operating within environments where health and safety is rightly a priority, there is a clear case for the exploitation of virtual reality.

“I am extremely pleased that lives can potentially be saved through the employment of this training system.”

Petre Stoian, Head of Operations and Maintenance at Delgaz Grid SA, added: “For us, this technology offers the opportunity to have real-world, work-based scenarios based on procedures and field situations that can be tested by electricians without endangering their lives. Learning experiences gained through testing will help electricians acquire new knowledge and skills, but, most importantly, stay safe by increasing awareness of the dangers they face.”