Contributions of Virtual Reality environment dedicated to chemical risk prevention training

ABSTRACT This paper presents a study on virtual reality for chemical risk prevention training closed in 2005. This study aimed to evaluate potentialities and limits of such tools to overcome difficulties encountered with the traditional trainings. The second objective was to provide an alternative to current teaching aids (slides, video, etc.). The global objective was to conceive a new training including virtual reality resources, with at least the same performance as a traditional training. To investigate this field, a classical chemical risk prevention training, based on observation of work activities, was selected. Traditionally, the training situation was presented in video and we proposed to present it in virtual reality simulation. The two media (video and virtual reality) were presented to 15 trainees. To validate the interest of the virtual reality media for training, we compared their performance in two days of real training sessions. In theses sessions, each trainees had to work with traditional tools and VR environment. The performance of the trainees in each condition was evaluated by debriefing with the trainer after teach training session, and the trainees’ answers were registered. At the end of the training sessions a questionnaire was filled by trainees for a qualitative evaluation of each media. Results show that virtual reality presents as advantages as video for all steps of this training and the debriefing sessions shows also that the virtual environment seems to facilitate the knowledge transfer between trainers and trainees. This first experiment provides us with an optimistic view of the potentialities of virtual environment for this type of training. This virtual environment is well accepted by trainees and enables them an increased approach of reality: exploration of non-perceptible aspects of the real world, representations of risk related to work activities… For trainees’, the comprehension of hidden aspects of each situation is very important for understanding the links between risks and their consequences on activities. We think that virtual reality represents a real alternative to traditional risk assessment training.