BNSF tests virtual reality as safety training tool

BNSF Railway Co. is adding virtual-reality exercises to enhance safety strategies and improve role readiness for its mechanical workforce, the Class I announced last week.

Working with virtual-reality learning-solutions provider Roundtable Learning, BNSF is testing training simulations to address risk-specific scenarios in an effort to avoid incidents and injuries on the job.

"We continue to invest in new technologies, like virtual-reality simulations, to enhance our mechanical training programs even more. They serve as an integral tool in bridging front-line work with digital technology and prioritizing our vision of a workplace free of accidents and injuries," said Mark Stockman, BNSF's director of mechanical training, in a press release.

BNSF closed out out last year with the lowest injury frequency rate in the company’s 175-year history, according to Stockman.

The virtual reality training programs will complement the Class I's existing instructor-led mechanical programs by reinforcing learning techniques that can’t be replicated in traditional training modalities, BNSF officials said.

Built for in-depth exposure to step-by-step processes, the virtual-reality program provides experiential learning opportunities for mechanical employees to build their knowledge of the importance of personal protection equipment; improve risk awareness; and hone seamless lock-out tag-out procedures.

Each time employees encounter safety hazards within the virtual reality experience, warnings alert learners to pressurized systems and reinforce safe lifting practices.