Prevention of Occupational Risks in Geotechnical Drilling Works Through Virtual Reality Training

Abstract

The architecture, engineering, construction and operations industry has high accident rates as a result of characteristics of the construction site and work activities, the heavy machinery used and a lack of safety culture. In particular, geotechnical drilling worksites involve the use of high-powered machinery and workers are exposed to different risks when using them. However, risk prevention training courses are not well-specialised for this type of work. There is a lack of adequate learning content specific to drilling works, meaning the heavy machinery, how to use it and how to prevent accidents due to these drilling tasks are poorly understood. Therefore, this research explores the potential of virtual reality technology as a tool for analysing the risks associated with geotechnical drilling works and as complementary training content to traditional courses. A specific use case, a geotechnical drilling machine is modelled in 3D and integrated into a realistic virtual reality environment where the movements of the machine are recreated, in addition to interactions so that workers can simulate the geotechnical drilling process, identify risks and prevent accidents, and, moreover, be trained in best practices for machinery usage, according to previous real-world experiences from senior workers.

Critical Analysis of the Evaluation Methods of Extended Reality (XR) Experiences for Construction Safety

“…Within the literature that does not perform evaluation, most of the XR developments for safety focus on the design, development, and simulation of the experience. These include topics such as: training in the use and operation of cranes [ 34 , 35 ], postural training [ 36 ], paving operations [ 37 ], among others [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 ]; collision detection [ 44 , 45 ]; prevention of occupational hazards [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]; and the general topics of construction safety [ 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ]. Some papers test the operation of the technology in addition to focusing on the development of the experience.…”

“…Some papers test the operation of the technology in addition to focusing on the development of the experience. However, they do not evaluate the effectiveness or provide details [ 34 , 36 , 48 , 50 ]. On the other hand, some articles mention the need to perform evaluations within their future research [ 37 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ].…”

Virtual Reality Training for Occupational Risk Prevention: Application Case in Geotechnical Drilling Works

“…Considering the advantages of VR to support training processes in occupational risk prevention, together with the needs of the geotechnical sector to train their workers in the reduction of accidents in drilling machines [24,25], this work: 1) develops a VR environment for training in accident prevention in geotechnical drilling works and 2) incorporates drilling machinery, operators, and simulates typical accidents in this type of work. The VR experience seeks to complement the traditional training currently used in this work, providing a tool that allows immersion and facilitates interaction and understanding of the processes and risks associated with these geotechnical activities.…”