Nationwide Platforms is to start offering advanced Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP) training using virtual reality (VR) simulators.
The courses are being delivered in collaboration with the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) after an industry-wide consultation and development programme, which will see a controlled roll-out of IPAF’s PAL+ advanced operator assessment in a VR environment.
The VR training simulates a real-life construction site, presenting the candidate with a range of scenarios and challenges as they manoeuvre around the site.
The trials will be delivered by selected training partners including Nationwide Platforms.
Andrew Pinkham, training operations manager at Nationwide Platforms, said: “With our investment in three specialised VR machines, the benefits to our customers are that we can now offer ‘high-risk’ training in a controlled, safe, virtual environment.
“The PAL+ course is aimed at advanced operators who work in more challenging environments where the risk of incident can be greater. With our VR simulators, we can place operators into highly challenging scenarios equal to anything they are likely to face on site.”
‘As good as training on a real machine’
“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 PAL+ course is as good, if not better, than doing the training on a real machine,” added Pinkham.
The use of the VR PAL+ course also means that Nationwide can offer training at a customer’s own site using its mobile training classroom.
Giles Councell, IPAF’s director of operations, said: “There is no doubt that the powered access industry is on the cusp of a VR revolution. With MEWP simulators now so advanced, IPAF is confident that they can form an integral part of delivering candidate training and assessment.”
“Working with some of our largest training provider members in both Europe and the US, IPAF will now embark on proving trials testing genuine PAL+ training candidates in the way we would do normally, but with the assessment taking place on a simulator rather than a real-life MEWP. If they pass their assessment using the simulator, they will be issued with their certification to PAL+ as usual, so these are not ‘dummy runs’”.
Nationwide Platforms is to run these controlled trials over a two-month period starting in September, delivering their feedback to IPAF who will then assess if PAL+ VR training will be rolled out globally.
