Virtual reality game for safety education

Safety and health issues are important components for any industry that involves machinery operations. To control various hazards leading to occupational injuries and illnesses, one common method is safety training and education. In this study, we developed a 3D virtual reality game to enhance safety training and education. Based on the recommendations from industrial partners, a pedestal grinder and its operation were selected for this study. The pedestal grinder and the mechanical laboratory were converted to three dimensional shapes using 3D modeling software. The completed 3D models were brought into the game engine to replicate actual laboratory environment. This allows students to interact within the virtual environment and be able to operate the virtual pedestal grinder safely. The interactivity between a user and the equipment within 3D virtual environment was implemented using visual programming tool inside the game engine. A pilot study was conducted to assess the students´ learning with regard to the pedestal grinder safety using three groups: lecture only, lecture with physical laboratory, and lecture with the developed 3D virtual environment. The results indicated the benefits of 3D virtual reality game over “lecture only” delivery method in enhancing students´ learning. Furthermore, virtual reality game allows students to retain information as good as the “lecture with physical laboratory” delivery method.