IPAF magazine 2020

22

Technology

IPAF Powered Access 2020

The exciting new reality of training Advances in virtual reality (VR) technology are opening up new possibilities in the world of powered access training. Neil Gerrard examines the latest developments

For so long it seemed like something confined to the realm of science fiction, but virtual reality (VR) technology finally looks like it has made the jump to everyday life.

With it comes a host of possibilities and potential advantages, not least in the world of powered access training.

Combining headsets that immerse users in a remarkably true-to-life 3D environment with a control panel that accurately reflects the layouts that can be found on real-life boom and scissor lifts, and platforms that tilt and vibrate in response to users’ inputs, simulators now offer a high degree of realism.

That allows would-be operatives to familiarise themselves with machines in a safe, consequence-free environment before they take on the real thing. It also means that it’s possible to undertake training in many more places without the requirement for the presence of reallife machinery and the space needed to use it. Meanwhile, advanced software

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can also track all sorts of metrics that inform training, such as driver behaviour and view direction.

But any training conducted using VR still needs to be as rigorous and comprehensive as it would be in a real‑world environment. So what is being done to harness the potential of VR in powered access training while still maintaining the high standards the industry has come to expect?

In 2018, Nationwide Platforms became the first company in the UK

VR headsets can simulate a realistic 3D environment along with the controls found on real-life machines

to use the technology in its advanced mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) training, after working with Canadian software house Serious Labs to develop training courses for boom lifts and scissor lifts. It devised four courses offering an introduction to powered access, an operator mid-term assessment for IPAF PAL Card holders, an operator skills assessment for experienced IPAF PAL Card holders, and a risk awareness workshop.

By September 2019, the company announced that it would deliver IPAF PAL+ advanced operator training in virtual reality, in collaboration with IPAF as part of an industry-wide consultation and development programme.

The controlled trials ran over a twomonth period and IPAF is currently examining the results and assessing if PAL+ VR training should be rolled out globally. In the early stages, however, Andrew Pinkham, training operations manager at Nationwide Platforms, was impressed with the results. “With our investment in three specialised VR machines, the benefit to our customers is that we can now offer ‘high-risk’ training in a controlled, safe, virtual environment,” he says.

“Our experienced trainers all agree that due to the standardised conditions of a virtual reality test environment – such as the ground conditions and rigging configuration – the VR IPAF PAL+ course is as good as doing the training on a real machine,” he adds.

18/03/2020 18:51