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November 2019. The lack of innovative and attractive teaching tools for the construction has led the European Union to develop tools make learning easier and that increase the motivation of professionals who want to train. To achieve this objective, VRoad, coordinated by the Fundación Laboral with other four entities from Spain, Italy, Portugal and France, has presented the prototype of its Virtual Reality (VR) application to train professionals in roadworks in Health and Safety.

The initiative, belonging to the European Commission's Erasmus+ programme, started in October 2018, with the aim of approaching the needs of prevention in road works, using a technological training system, based on the Work Based Learning (WBL) methodology.

In its first year, VRoad has published a video presenting its VR learning system, which will be available in 2020. The video recreates three real-life scenarios of roadwork, in where the trainees and the professionals can be trained in the Health and Safety measures during: lane closure; traffic signs and lane repairs; and the protocol for action in the event of an accident. This technology simulates in the mind of the user (according to the experts, in the visual cortex and in the areas of the brain that perceive movement) the existence of a real scenario, achieving full immersion and learning through their experience.

Handy guide and risk report

In order to use the VRoad application correctly, the consortium has designed a handy guide for construction teachers to learn how to use this training tool and also teach their students the advantages of experiential training, helping to prevent possible accidents at work. The document includes a detailed tutorial for the configuration of the equipment (hardware) on which the application will be installed.

Before designing the application, the VRoad partnership have investigated the main risks of the road workers and their training needs of Health and Safety, in their countries. The result is a report that includes the «Learning results in road works», which shows the conclusions of the four focus groups developed in Spain, Italy, Portugal and France, with professionals of the sector, traffic police, trainers, and experts; as well as the 155 surveys, carried out since the project. The document points out that the most common risk are the collisions or blows with vehicles, followed by the use of equipment and work tools in specific tasks, such as: blows, cuts, crushing or overexertion caused by handling, transport and the use of heavy equipment.

In short, VRoad seeks to strengthen the preventive culture of the construction workers, as a necessary step to improve the qualification of the sector, thus ensuring that the road works will be more safety.

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