Underground and surface mines can be hazardous
places, so when it comes to safety training in the mining profession, the old
saying “practice makes perfect” holds true. To improve hazard safety instruction,
a team at South Dakota Mines has spent the
past year developing a virtual reality (VR) training module that mimics a
mining environment.
“We are using new technologies combined with
neuroscience to help people learn faster and more effectively,” says Clint
Kling, a mining engineering doctoral graduate student who is currently working
on the project under the guidance of Associate Professor Purushotham Tukkaraja,
Ph.D., in collaboration with the company Motive.io. The research is funded by
the United States Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration
(MSHA) with a grant of $100,000.
The VR hazard awareness training is designed for new
and inexperienced miners and will be available in English or Spanish. It will
be conducted alongside the already existing MSHA training program at South
Dakota Mines, the local mine sites, and will also be used in MSHA’s refresher
training courses. The team plans to develop this program at the local level to
establish good results before a national rollout. The researchers are also
taking their ideas to the marketplace. They are ready to collaborate with any
industry partners such as mining, construction, or general industry to develop a
new VR safety training program that will prove effective and valuable according
to their needs. “There is much thought in the background detail that goes into
every move and interaction in the environment to give the end-user the most
effective and beneficial training. A successful VR training module is in the
creation of its storyboard,” says Kling. “We are pleased that MSHA gave us the
opportunity to develop our idea to help make the mining world a better and
safer place to work,” Dr. Tukkaraja adds.
“We want people to go home safely to their families
at the end of the workday. We hope to create a safe mindset that will carry
with them wherever they go. The first step in controlling workplace hazards is
to identify and determine which hazards are present.” Kling says. “Our brain is
always learning even when it’s negative and including the things you don’t do.
So, your behavior in your everyday life is important; each one of them is
changing your brain. We need to break the habits and behaviors that are not
healthy."
Traditionally, mining workplace safety has been a complex
subject to effectively convey in a classroom or even on the job because of all the
dangers involved. “Having trained in VR ensures the person's safety but also
shows them the potential hazards of a mining environment. We see the benefits
of VR for safety training and the future of it as well. Our goal is to develop
a lasting training program using VR because of its proven effectiveness,” says Dr.
Tukkaraja.
The team seeks to improve
the outcome of safety training by
creating a more safety conscientious worker who is better prepared to work
safely in their environment. “There is
a considerable amount of time spent in classrooms teaching people how to be
safe, but there is still room for improvement. We want to help close the gap
and make more use of our time in the classroom to help people become more safety-oriented
and work towards our goal of zero accidents,” says Dr. Tukkaraja.