HSE Internships and the Use of Virtual Reality in the Professional World

HSE Internship / A methodology to control risks in the company.

Given the high number of work accidents, risk management has become a central issue in companies. By implementing effective prevention measures, an employer can guarantee the safety of employees and consequently, the sustainability of their company. Therefore, using an HSE preventive officer is essential.

What is HSE?

HSE, or Health, Safety, and Environment, is a methodology for managing companies in the areas of environment, hygiene, and safety, as well as controlling risks. Several standards govern HSE:

• Hygiene and Safety: It is the British standard BS OHSAS 18001 that governs the field of hygiene, health, and safety. It will soon be replaced by the equivalent international standard ISO 45001.
• Environment: The ISO 14001 standard offers its framework for environmental criteria.

The PDCA Cycle and its Stages

The action plan is an integral part of the PDCA plan developed by William Edward Deming in the 1950s. He was an American professor and statistician. PDCA is a concept based on the cycle idea. It was updated with the ISO 9001 standard. Here are its main stages:

Planning or Plan

Management already knows the internal and external context as well as the organization's results. They set measurable goals based on strategy and quality policy. This step involves setting up the action plan.

Implementation or Do

Once the action plan is established and the objectives defined, implementation begins. This is the most crucial part of the PDCA.

Check or Verify

During this step, one ensures that the action plan has been respected and that the objectives have been achieved. Several tools are used for this, including indicators and internal audits.

Act or Improve

Improvement is based on the results obtained during the verification:

• If they show that the goals are met: the best practices carried out will be formalized.
• If they are not compliant: corrective actions will be put in place.

To correctly implement a PDCA plan, precautions must be taken at each stage.

Employer Obligations in Terms of HSE

The employer is required to implement information, prevention, and training actions. Here are the measures they must take to protect their employees:

Information and Training Actions

These must be established for new employees, temporary workers, employees changing positions, and those returning to work after medical leave.

Prevention of Occupational Risks Actions

They focus on the following points:

• Psychosocial risks such as violence and aggression or work overload;
• Risks of falls from height;
• Risks of touching a functioning element on a machine;
• Chemical risks;
• Provisions related to exposure to occupational risk factors.

Risk Assessment

The employer must do everything to limit risks. But they must also take measures to evaluate them and apply prevention measures.

Organization and Appropriate Means

Examples include:

• Implementing PPE or Personal Protective Equipment;
• Modifying working hours to reduce the risk of accidents.

Sanctions Incurred

The employer can incur civil, criminal, or administrative sanctions:

Civil Sanction

On the one hand, an employee can take note of the termination of their employment contract in case of endangerment, even if no serious incident has occurred. They can also seize the labor court to obtain compensation.

On the other hand, the employer is liable for financial compensation if they cannot prove that they took the necessary measures to protect workers from an occupational disease or a work accident.

Criminal Sanction

The employer's responsibility is engaged as soon as they expose their employees to an identified risk without taking adequate measures to limit it.

What is an HSE Internship?

An HSE internship aims to train a company employee to become an HSE preventive officer. Their role will be to propose a policy on safety, hygiene, and respect for the environment. Distance HSE training usually lasts from 3 to 5 days.

How to Select Employees Who Will Follow the Internship?

Since HSE prevention is a relational job, the preventive officer must have good persuasive skills and be proactive. They must also have leadership qualities since they will have to manage employees. This professional can be designated internally or be specifically recruited for this mission.

What Does an HSE Internship Include?

During an HSE internship, the trainee must learn to perfectly master the PDCA stages to apply these best practices within the company. They are also taught accident prevention techniques to improve the professional quality of life of employees. Moreover, the course helps the learner understand the difficulties employees face and involve the entire hierarchy. This way, they can take care of their safety themselves.

Why Have Your Employees Follow an HSE Internship?

According to Article L 464461 of the Labor Code, employers must designate one or more competent employees to assist them in preventing work risks. To effectively carry out their mission, they must follow an HSE course aimed at improving employee safety.

Internal or External Internship

The HSE preventive officer can be appointed in two ways:

• Internally: The employer must consult the CHSCT or, failing that, the staff representative in advance, according to Article L 4611-2 of the Labor Code. Thus, the HSE prevention officer can be an already employed person in a company or newly recruited.
• Externally: If no competent person can be designated internally, the employer can use an external provider. This can be occupational risk prevention interveners (IPRP) or health service occupational risk prevention interveners (SST).

Benefits of Implementing an HSE Plan

Implementing an HSE policy has many benefits for a company:

• Economic benefits: several studies show that the HSE policy promises significant added value;
• Social benefits: some points can be improved thanks to an HSE policy such as internal communication, the company's image, and social dialogue;
• Retain the best talents and attract new ones during recruitment.

Virtual Reality Training for an HSE Internship

Virtual reality is a technique that simulates an environment using various technological equipment. It can be used in training. In this case, VR helmets and controllers are used to immerse the learner in realistic conditions. Virtual reality faithfully recreates a work environment and exposes the employee to risks without endangering them. 

Advantages of VR Training

VR training offers several advantages for employees and businesses:

• It reduces the duration of training: Virtual reality replicates real-life conditions with just a headset. This accelerates the training process.
• It increases its effectiveness: VR training allows the trainee to practice what they have learned. They can then more easily retain the information conveyed. As a result, the training proves effective.
• It allows all employees to benefit from it and trains them in HSE. Once the modules are created, they can be easily used for the rest of the company.

Immersive Factory, Your VR Safety Training Partner

Immersive Factory offers you safety training in virtual reality. They are very suitable for HSE internships. We offer you training to set up directly internally, including:

• Personalized support: We help you set up virtual reality training and a virtual campus;
• Advice to meet your needs: Easily select the exercises and subscription packages you want;
• Training your employees: We train your interns to master 3D environments and get started with VR headsets;
• Unique expertise: You will be guided by technical advisors, researchers, and educational engineers to design interesting and creative training programs;
• Custom creations with our experts: We create content with industrial entities;
• Pedagogical expertise: Thanks to immersion and active pedagogy, our teams will help you create a training path that meets your needs.

Benefits of Immersive Factory Training

Training with Immersive Factory is highly beneficial for businesses. It guarantees:

• More effective learning: Practical application allows trainees to be more engaged;
• Reduced training time;
• Better retention: Practical training promises better results compared to theoretical training;
• Training in decision-making;
• Exposure to risky situations;
• Endless learning paths;
• Innovative HSE exercises such as quizzes, risk identification, and serious games.