VR in Safety Training — Insights from BOTC
BOTC Training organised a practical VR workshop for safety specialists representing 30 companies across construction, manufacturing, energy and service sectors.
Participants tested multiple safety scenarios in virtual reality — including fire safety, first aid, work at height and warehouse risk assessment — and compared several VR platforms.
The workshops clearly demonstrated how short, realistic and easy-to-use VR modules can enhance workplace training, support onboarding and improve competence retention. VR proved especially valuable in high-risk, hard-to-simulate environments where traditional training is limited.
Problem
Companies face recurring challenges in safety training:
theoretical sessions are not engaging enough,
employees struggle to imagine real hazards from slides or videos,
high-risk scenarios (fires, heights, confined spaces) cannot be safely recreated in real life,
practical exercises are costly, time-consuming and logistically complex,
long training formats reduce attention and retention,
younger employees expect interactive and modern learning tools,
ROI for VR equipment is unclear for many organisations,
local-language training content is required for frontline staff.
These issues appeared consistently among all 40+ participants at the BOTC workshops.
Solution
VR bridges the gap between theory and real-world practice by providing:
Short, focused training modules
Participants preferred 3–6 minute scenarios — highly engaging and easy to deploy during daily operations.
Safe simulation of high-risk environments
VR makes it possible to train procedures for fires, falls from height, confined spaces, equipment interaction or emergency response — without exposing employees to real danger.
Realistic workplace-like environments
Custom, site-specific modules significantly improve understanding and reduce training errors.
Higher engagement and motivation
Immersive learning increases concentration, especially among younger workers.
Strong fit for onboarding, refreshers and Safety Days
VR integrates naturally into existing training workflows as a reinforcement step:
Theory → VR → Real-world practice
Local language versions
Latvian-language content at the BOTC workshop improved comprehension and accuracy across staff levels.
Apps that solve this problem
How to organise it
Implementing VR for safety training is simple:
Choose training objectives
(e.g., fire safety, work at height, emergency response, hazard awareness)Select relevant VR modules
from ready-made EHS VR scenarios or request a custom environment.Prepare the training space
Only 2 × 2 meters of free area are needed for VR practice.Equip trainers or supervisors
with one or more Meta Quest headsets — no cables, no PC, no additional infrastructure.Integrate VR into your training plan
Use VR as a pre-practice activity, during onboarding, toolbox talks or periodic refreshers.Track progress and repeat sessions
VR allows unlimited repetition, skill reinforcement and competence checks.
