| Hundreds die in Britain and the USA each year | | | | participant to determine if these contribute to |
| from construction industry related deaths. Great | | | | mishaps. |
| heights and falling rubble are just some of the | | | | Powers and his team made some enlightening |
| daily threats to a construction worker's life. The | | | | discoveries with the virtual reality system: most |
| tricky part is how to implement training in the | | | | workers fall as a result of a sudden loss of |
| construction industry without the risk of injury, | | | | balance. They also discovered that two factors |
| but safety scientists at the National Institute for | | | | could contribute to maintaining balance: footwear |
| Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have | | | | and the use of a focal point. Footwear can be |
| found the answer to this problem in the form of | | | | engineered to minimise the risk of a construction |
| a virtual reality training scheme. Virtual reality is | | | | worker slipping and losing his or her balance. If |
| already used for training in the form of flight | | | | workers are struggling to regain control of their |
| simulators, so using virtual reality for training in | | | | balance, directing their focus to an unmoving focal |
| other sectors is the next logical step. | | | | point at some distance, such as a pole, could help |
| John Powers, an engineer at NIOSH says that | | | | orientate them in the environment and regain their |
| thousands of constructions workers are injured | | | | footing. |
| each year from falls, and yet no-one has been | | | | Powers hopes to make valid recommendations |
| able to figure out why this is so, even in the face | | | | with the research findings to those involved in the |
| of stringent safety regulations. Powers and his | | | | industry. Training in the construction industry is |
| engineering team tried to solve the problem with | | | | ideally done by offering courses in a safe, |
| a cleverly designed virtual reality construction site | | | | controlled environment, which is why a virtual |
| that gives those undergoing training in the | | | | reality centre would work so well. It would provide |
| construction industry the impression that they are | | | | all the necessary experience while highlighting the |
| walking along planks at the top of scaffolding. | | | | need for protective clothing and implementing the |
| Movement in the virtual environment is measured, | | | | appropriate precautions. |
| as is the physiology and stress levels of the | | | | |