A construction site in Nanjing, eastern China’s Jiangsu province was recently equipped with virtual reality (VR) devices in a bid to improve workers’ safety awareness by simulating different construction accidents.
Simulated scenes of the whole construction site will be presented to workers after they put on the VR glasses. When walking around in the site, they could be “hit” by excavators or even “fall” from buildings, it was explained.
Currently, 6 scenarios are available in the VR system, covering different construction projects and sources of danger. More will be customized for wider promotion of the system in future, it was disclosed.
It was learnt that the system cost about 200,000 RMB ($29,418). According to Yang Jinbin, chief engineer of Nanjing Gianda Road & Bridge Construction Co., Ltd., initiator of the system, it will be good if the VR works efficiently and improves people’s safety awareness.
Yang noted that traditional safety education is mostly done through meetings and oral instruction, but the VR system provides more realistic experiences.