Benefits of Simulation-Based Training
In 2022, one person died every 96 minutes from a work-related injury.
Many of them worked in construction and utilities.
According to OSHA, 鈥淲orkers in construction and extraction occupations had the second most fatalities (1,056) in 2022 compared to other occupation groups.鈥
If you are wondering how to reduce safety incidents at work, there are ways to improve your safety training. In fact, inadequate safety training is the top variable associated with accident severity, as identified by the study
How Does Simulation Training Reduce the Likelihood of a Safety Incident?
There are many real challenges to improving safety training in utilities and construction, such as:
-
- Practicing聽on real equipment poses too much danger.
- Experiencing specific,聽聽multiple times is impossible on real equipment.
- Changing an operator鈥檚聽聽to events like tipping presents challenges.
- 聽without objective data is difficult.
- Scheduling around limited聽聽causes delays in training timelines.
- Labor shortages impact the availability of聽.
Fortunately, simulation training addresses each of these challenges.
Safety simulation training聽offers聽, such as the ability to objectively measure and track an operator鈥檚 progress,聽, and prepare operators for certification exams.
It鈥檚 a cost-effective solution that is more fuel-efficient and convenient than training on real equipment. But perhaps its greatest benefit is its ability to dramatically improve safety training. Here鈥檚 how.
- Practice High-Risk Scenarios that Often Lead to a Safety Incident
Many of the most dangerous situations operators encounter are simply too risky to replicate in real life. It wouldn鈥檛 be wise or ethical to practice tipping to teach operators how to avoid it鈥攐r to induce distractions to build situational awareness. But having these skills makes a significant difference in reducing the likelihood of a safety incident.聽According to聽, 鈥淎pproximately 75% of struck-by fatalities involve heavy equipment such as trucks or cranes.鈥
Operators can practice a variety of exercises in a simulated environment
- Practice Rare Events That Are Impossible to Replicate Using Real Heavy Equipment
What can an operator do if their visibility is unexpectedly reduced? Or if a tire suddenly blows out?
Unexpected, and sometimes uncommon, situations can happen. When they do, how an operator responds can have a significant impact on the outcome. However, training on real equipment has its limitations, since it鈥檚 impractical to wait for the weather to turn or for an unusual scenario to present itself.
With simulation, you can induce or replicate rare occurrences and practice responses to them over and over again. This allows operators to be prepared for rare events before they even enter a jobsite鈥攑otentially preventing safety incidents and saving lives.
- Change Instinctual Responses with Safety Simulation Training
When an excavator begins to tip, how an operator responds can have life-or-death consequences鈥攆or both the operator and those around them. 鈥淵ou need to know within a fraction of a second what your next move is going to be to save whatever鈥檚 happening,鈥 said 20-year-veteran equipment operator Gary James. Otherwise, the situation can quickly pass the point of no return.
鈥淚f you tip over a crane at an energized substation, there鈥檚 potential not just for killing yourself but killing a lot of people鈥攑lus the amount of damage鈥 it鈥檚 big money and bigger consequences,鈥 said聽, a Detroit-based labor union that represents nearly 750,000 workers and retirees in the electrical industry.
Because instinct often kicks in during these scenarios, and because instinctual responses can sometimes be the exact opposite of what an operator should do, reprogramming these responses through concentrated training is essential.
Within a simulated environment, operators can build the muscle memory they need to do this. They can learn to identify early warning signs of a dangerous situation, as well as receive instructor feedback on how to proceed and respond. Then, they can practice scenarios over and over, until new habits form that could very well save their life if ever they had to make a split-second decision.
- Use Simulation to Objectively Assess Construction and Utilities Workers Before They Enter a Jobsite
Digging around existing utility lines necessitates a high skill level. But how can organizations be sure that operators have that skill level without objectively testing them?
Objective scoring helps provide a clear picture of an operator鈥檚 skill level
Subjective assessments of an operator鈥檚 skills may be inaccurate. In addition, new hires claiming to have years of experience might not be telling the full truth about their capabilities.
By testing operators within a simulated environment, organizations can remove any doubt about an operator鈥檚 skill level. Setting a required training score on a simulator ensures that a company鈥檚 health and safety protocols are maintained. As a result, they can rest assured that all operators working in high-precision scenarios are fully capable of handling their responsibilities effectively.
Proactive monitoring in health and safety is all about data. With simulation, operator benchmarking can be a part of that data.
- Train Operators Regardless of Equipment Availability
In order to effectively train operators, organizations need to have the resources available to do so. And when equipment isn鈥檛 available, that becomes difficult to accomplish by traditional training methods.
Simulation, by contrast, is available 24/7. 鈥淥n average we鈥檙e probably shut down about 25 days a year [because of weather issues],鈥 said聽, 鈥淭he simulator never closes. In fact, we sometimes simulate rain, high wind, and snow conditions for the operator.鈥
Operators can hop on at any time and practice exercises. Training isn鈥檛 interrupted by inclement weather, lack of equipment, or other factors. In fact, it can be an excellent use of downtime. 鈥淲ith the simulator, they [trainees] come in at their own pace, and take as much time as they want,鈥 said Jeff Mitchell.
鈥淲ith the simulator, they [trainees] come in at their own pace, and take as much time as they want鈥
- Maximize Instructor Time With Safety Simulation Training
The labor shortage has put a premium on instructors鈥 time, as their expertise can often be needed on the jobsite as well. This makes it hard to train new operators, or provide upskilling to more established workers.
Safety simulation training alleviates this burden on instructor time by making it possible for one instructor to train multiple operators on multiple simulators simultaneously. In addition, it also makes it easier and faster for instructors to provide feedback and corrective training. 鈥淲ith the simulator, I can literally put hands on hands,鈥 said聽. 鈥淚 can move the trainee鈥檚 hands and coach them, and have a discussion with them. It鈥檚 much more effective, which is why we鈥檙e seeing a trend where learning curves are a lot shorter.鈥
Why Immersion Is So Essential to Safety Simulation Training
We鈥檝e covered how operators can train for high-risk scenarios with simulation training, as well as the unique benefits that simulation provides. But it鈥檚 important to make the distinction between high-quality safety simulation training and lower-quality safety simulation training鈥攂ecause a lower-quality simulation training program can actually exacerbate issues rather than fix them.
Risks of Using Lower-Quality Safety Simulation Training
A lower-quality simulation might not accurately mirror soil physics or the feeling an operator will experience just before equipment tips. It might not account for details like tire pressure or pendulum swing, or the way equipment will move as it passes over a curb. This can teach operators the wrong lessons, and lead to a phenomenon known as 鈥渘egative training.鈥
What is negative training?聽It鈥檚 inaccurate training based on false information. For instance, flawed soil simulation may encourage the trainee to make excessively deep cuts that would be impractical in real-life scenarios. Or an inaccurate simulated cable system may not teach the student how to skilfully control the pendulum, especially when faced with fluctuating weather conditions and varying loads.
Negative training is especially dangerous because it can lead to a false sense of security that could have devastating consequences once an operator sits behind the wheel of a real piece of heavy equipment.
Benefits of Using High-Quality Safety Simulation Training
What does high-quality simulation training look like, and how can you know what will work for you? A high-quality simulation training program will prioritize聽. And by immersion, we don鈥檛 just mean visual immersion, but haptic immersion and auditory immersion, as well.
The highest level of simulation accurately mimics real machine behavior, providing an immersive experience. For example, it can include sounds such as:
- Engine sounds (including fails and stalls)
- Variable engine RPMs
- Horns
- Fork scraping and shifting
- Alarms
- Other worksite sounds that are important audio cues for safe, steady, deliberate, and precise operations
The full-motion platform of a high-quality simulator is also tied, in real-time, to the simulation and accurately replicates much of an operator鈥檚 day-to-day experience, such as driving on uneven terrain. Trainees improve their muscle memory, ultimately becoming 鈥渙ne鈥 with their equipment鈥攆eeling the platform bowing down as they drill or dig, or pitch when they are at risk of tipping.
Here鈥檚 what that looks like in action: https://youtu.be/6xpfBzFTSAE
A truly high-quality simulator will feel just like real equipment due to the level of depth and detail put into developing the simulation physics engine and core technology. And that depth and detail will lead to the kind of high-quality training that could very well save lives.
Thank you to CM Labs for providing this article: https://www.cm-labs.com/en/blog/6-ways-safety-simulation-training-helps-reduce-accidents-in-utilities-and-construction/?utm_campaign=FY25%20-%20Utilities%20Campaigns%20-%20Always%20On&utm_content=310054467&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-222465