The Impact and Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Applied to the Safety Training of Workers in Open-Cast Mining

Antonella Pireddu (), Alessandro Innocenti, Luca Maurizio Lusuardi, Vincenzo Santalucia and Carla Simeoni
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Antonella Pireddu: Department of Technological Innovations and Safety of Plants, Products and Anthropic Settlements (DIT), National Institute for Insurance Against Accidents at Work (INAIL), 00144 Rome, Italy
Alessandro Innocenti: LabVR UNISI, Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences (DISPOC), University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Luca Maurizio Lusuardi: LabVR UNISI, Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences (DISPOC), University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Vincenzo Santalucia: LabVR UNISI, Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences (DISPOC), University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Carla Simeoni: Department of Technological Innovations and Safety of Plants, Products and Anthropic Settlements (DIT), National Institute for Insurance Against Accidents at Work (INAIL), 00144 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 2, 1-24

Abstract: This paper presents the results of an interactive virtual reality (VR) training program aimed at enhancing Health and Safety (H&S) management practices in quarrying operations. The course was designed based on industry best practices, as well as both voluntary and mandatory standards relevant to marble mining activities. It combines experiential learning with a performance monitoring system that tracks completion rates, time taken, and scores based on user decisions. The primary objective was to assess the impact of VR training across different user groups, categorized by age, prior safety experience, familiarity with equipment and processes, and VR proficiency. This study involved 40 participants and analyzed 15 variables, including occupation, age, H&S skills, process knowledge, equipment familiarity, VR skills, physical impact of VR, number of attempts before completion, percentage and time of completion, achieved scores, retention of knowledge, and user feedback before and after training. Performance measurement was carried out using two methods: a Microsoft Forms questionnaire with 16 questions, completed by participants one week after training, and Simula Solution, which automatically tracked and recorded performance metrics (time, percentage, errors, and scores) during each session. The survey successfully identified which demographic groups were most affected by VR training. The findings of this study could have important implications for improving H&S practices in the mining sector by empowering workers to engage in training and interact with process resources. This allows them to experience virtual accidents in a controlled, risk-free environment.

Keywords: virtual reality; quarry; health and safety management; training (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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