Digital Simulator as Part of an End-to-End Business Process for Theoretical and Practical HSE Training

Prerequisites for Implementation: Company Growth and HR Challenges

The intensive growth of production capacities inevitably entails HR challenges. Given the shortage of qualified specialists, the expansion of the drilling rig fleet, and high staff turnover, traditional briefing methods no longer provide the required level of safety. Dmitry Surodeykin explains how the transition to interactive training formats helps build sustainable safe work skills before an employee enters a real production facility.

Why a Digital Simulator Instead of VR Technologies?

When choosing a technical solution, specialists often face severe infrastructure limitations. The presentation details the process of choosing between VR simulators and desktop solutions. Due to the specifics of shift camps and extremely limited workspace in residential trailers, the company opted for a PC-based digital simulator. This ensured training accessibility without losing visualization quality — the system features detailed renderings of real drilling rigs with all blocks, modules, and receiving bridges, allowing the worker to study their future workplace in advance.

High-Risk Operation Scenarios and Consequence Visualization

Special attention in the simulator is given to two critical areas: work at height and loading/unloading operations. In the loading/unloading module, employees practice rope rejection skills, proper load slinging, and the use of signalman gestures. In the work at height module, the system strictly controls the algorithms for using PPE and moving along structures. If a worker commits a gross violation — for example, when climbing a tunnel-type ladder — the simulator interrupts the process and displays a dialog box describing the fatal consequences. This forms a clear cause-and-effect relationship between an error and an accident without any real health risk.

The Economics of Safety: How the Simulator Pays for Itself

Implementing digital tools always requires justifying costs to the business. The speaker demonstrates by example how non-productive time due to violations translates into direct financial losses. The analysis showed that losses from drilling crew downtime due to incidents during loading/unloading and work at height over several months significantly exceeded the cost of developing the simulator itself. This transparent math became a key argument for management when defending investments in the project.

Integration into the End-to-End Training Process and Results

The simulator does not replace basic mandatory training but is integrated into the end-to-end business process as an additional, strict barrier. An employee undergoes theoretical training at a training center, studies local regulations at the facility, and then practices scenarios in a digital environment. Only after successfully passing the exam in the simulator are they allowed to undergo practical training on-site under the supervision of a foreman. Process automation allows managers to receive instant notifications about test results. An analysis of the implementation showed a significant increase in the effectiveness of safety barriers — from 48% to 90%, while initial statistics revealed that most employees do not pass the exam on the first try, which reliably prevents their admission to hazardous work without proper qualifications.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to justify investments in developing a digital simulator to management by calculating the cost of non-productive time?
• Why a desktop simulator can be more effective and practical than VR glasses in shift work conditions?
• How to integrate digital testing into a unified business process for admitting personnel to internships?
• How does the visualization of real production facilities in the simulator affect the quality of worker training?
• How to automate the monitoring of training completion and inform managers about the results?