Testimony of an EHS Student

Cassandre is a second-year student in the BUT HSE (Hygiene, Safety, Environment) program. This multidisciplinary training covers three main sectors: occupational health, safety, and the environment. She discovered virtual reality during her first year of training and agreed to share her experience.

How does the school use virtual reality in the curriculum?

“During our training, we used virtual reality in two different ways.

Firstly, during the performance of job studies. We use virtual reality to simulate a professional task (for example: cashier) combined with captiv sensors. This allows us to record the angles made by the joints during the performance of a professional activity and subsequently identify the strenuous or repeated movements performed by the employee in order to suggest corrective measures.

Secondly, we use it as an awareness tool. One of the skills we need to acquire is to lead the QHSSE approach, this will involve designing and leading safety 1⁄4, forums, awareness campaigns, and training. Virtual reality is a tool to help learners understand more or less complex concepts through immersion. It also helps to raise employees' awareness of risks by the possibility of putting them in accident situations, an event that will be striking for the learner.”
 

How does virtual reality integrate with your classes?

"Virtual reality appears in course formats called TP where we are in small groups (maximum 15). In this type of course, we are often in groups of 2 to 4 students and must carry out a study, an assignment. We have several 2 to 4 hour sessions with a certain autonomy to carry out our work and be able to present a result. The subject is constituted so that the work is not limited to the person wearing the virtual reality headset; taking our job studies as an example. The person wearing the headset replicates the simulated task of the employer while the other students in the group study the type of rotation that the comrade makes for all the joints. In other types of exercises, group cohesion can be created, through the screen projection of the participant's vision. Let's take an example of a risk hunt: classmates can help each other with "turn right, I think I saw a defective plug" or "did you remember to check the scaffolding labeling"…”
 

What is your feeling about the use of virtual reality and Immersive Factory exercises in your training?

"Firstly, I would say that it is a privilege to be able to use this type of technology in class, as not all schools offer this innovative and attractive course format for students.

Next, this technology allows us to delve deeper into subjects even when we couldn't go out into the field as it’s not always possible (example: construction, chemical product factory). Subjects that as a QHSE manager, we will nonetheless need to know how to address. It also allows us to carry out more individualized projects without complicating the rollout for teachers due to the multitude of subjects covered by Immersive Factory workshops."
 

You too, opt for virtual reality to train tomorrow's professionals on EHS subjects. This innovative and immersive technology allows you to be an active part of your training and immerse yourself in a realistic environment. Contact us to find out more.