Sue Allen, Business Development Manager, Training and Simulation Services, QinetiQ
The combined US and Canadian mining industry employs about 900,000 people. Recently, the US government mandated stringent Health & Safety targets of zero fatalities and a 50% reduction in injuries. That’s where QinetiQ’s Training and Simulation Services (TSS) stepped in: we were able to provide the expertise and software, together with the only virtual reality mine safety and rescue training capability in the world.
Training and Simulation Services virtual reality training.
Working in partnership with QinetiQ Australia – who already has a large contract with global giant, Rio Tinto, amongst others – our TSS team have developed a full marketing capability for mine safety training, which includes our 360 degree simulation theatre in Farnborough, the only one in the northern hemisphere.
Our 3D sensory theatre offers a fully immersive and interactive environment that provides all the sights and sounds of a real mine. The benefits include increased health and safety, reduced ‘lost time’ through injury, and increased operational efficiency and production.
Another feature of virtual reality training is that it can be used effectively by trainees around the world who may have lower literacy rates or language barriers, for whom traditional training methods are often unsuitable. This ‘training by seeing’ has also proven to increase learning and retention rates.
Bruce Watzman, VP of the National Mining Association, said: “This technology represents a step change in safety training capability: why would we be using plastic tubes and sticky tape to try and recreate a mine for training when the real thing can be virtually there in incredible detail?”
We’re really excited to be operating at the leading edge of this rapidly expanding commercial market, and are proactively pursuing opportunities to apply virtual reality training to other safety critical industries, such as fire fighting, rail, oil and gas, nuclear, and construction.
Find out more about virtual reality training or contact me for more information.