A Study on the Effective Use of Virtual Reality for Improving Safety Training Systems

산업안전 교육시스템에서의 가상현실의 효과적 활용 방안에 관한 연구

This paper addresses the problem of how to effectively use virtual reality(VR) for improving the quality of safety training systems. As the working environment and the working system in the industry are more and more complex and large-scaled, the concern with system safety is accordingly growing. Safety training systems are regarded as an effective way for increasing workers' interest in system safety and enhancing their ability of preventing and handling accidents/incidents. Recently, it has been reported that VR would be effectively used for improving the quality of safety training systems, with its technically specialized features. However, little attention has been given to the problem of how to effectively use VR for safety training systems. In order to make the best use of new technology such as VR, it is important to examine its advantages and disadvantages and the contexts to which its use can be beneficial. This paper firstly reviews the current status of safety training systems and the use of VR for safety training systems in the inside and outside of the country. Next, we summarize the interview with safety managers in four manufacturing companies, which was conducted to understand the requirements of stake-holders of the issue. Based on the review and the interview, we suggested the ways of using VR in safety training systems in an effective manner. They are described from the four perspectives: development and maintenance cost, lack of specialized workers, design of accident scenarios used with VR, and empirical demonstration of the effectiveness of VR in safety training.