In accordance with the requirements of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 2464 dated December 24, 2021, "On the Procedure for HSE Training and Testing of HSE Knowledge," employees who use personal protective equipment (hereinafter referred to as PPE) that requires practical skills must undergo training on the use (application) of PPE.
Training programs for PPE use (application) must include practical sessions to develop skills and abilities in using (applying) PPE, accounting for at least 50 percent of the total training hours. Practical sessions must be conducted using technical training aids and visual aids.
According to clarifications from the Ministry of Labor of Russia, technical training aids should include simulators and training grounds.
Given the specifics of the PPE training process, VR simulators can be used as an additional training tool for the use (application) of PPE (alongside face-to-face training with real PPE), as they do not provide tactile sensations and do not allow for monitoring the quality of mechanical operations. After training on a VR simulator without using real PPE, an employee will encounter "specific" difficulties when using PPE in real-world conditions.
A VR simulator is justified for training the skills listed in the table below. Mastering these skills during regular training in real conditions requires an extensive material and technical base, including a large quantity of PPE for training purposes.
|
Skill |
Advantages of Training with a VR Simulator |
|
Inspection of PPE and identification of defects (to assess usability) |
1. Ability to simulate a wide range of malfunctions and damage (defects) of PPE. 2. Automatic assessment of the possibility and necessity of using PPE. 3. Visualization of consequences when using defective PPE. 4. Improved training visibility and increased personnel motivation for correct PPE use during work. |
|
Use of a complete set of PPE depending on the work performed |
1. Automatic assessment of the completeness of the PPE set used, based on rules embedded in the simulator or training session. 2. Ability to visually simulate the consequences of not using PPE (without real-life risks). A VR simulator allows for a visual demonstration of the consequences of failing to use PPE. |
|
Performing correct sequences of operations when using PPE |
1. Possibility of automatic assessment of trainee actions without requiring an instructor (trainer) to evaluate each student. When training large groups, the instructor can simply review the VR simulator training logs and conduct an error analysis with the group. |