Downtime in plant hire is mostly the result of breakdown of equipment, insufficient training or a lack of industry understanding. In almost all of these cases, even some basic on the job education could act like an inoculation to protect the industry from any ill-effects.

Part of the challenge with training is letting inexperienced individuals loose on heavy lifting equipment and other plant. An active construction site is probably not the best classroom in which to learn. It’s here where new technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are now being leveraged to provide training experiences just like the real world, but within safe and managed confines.

Construction Industry is catching up – we’re not in the stone age any more!

Ryan Pike

Today, simulation training programs are available for practically any machine, with operators being trained in everything from safe working zones to the people / plant interface and height slew restrictions. The results speak for themselves, with the additional benefit that technology enables performance, risks and skills to be fully analyzed.

Simulation training can be carried out away from the distractions of the site, so that trainees can fully immerse themselves in the tasks at hand in a gamified atmosphere. It’s a proven technology used extensively in everything from Formula One racing cars and flight training, to space exploration. But back down to earth, it’s helping make advances in the application of best practices for site safety together with plant operations and equipment start-up routines and service.