The functioning of hazardous production facilities is inseparably connected with the necessity of special staff training including the training of personnel to operate effectively in critical situations/emergencies. Despite the large number of theoretical and practical courses, norms, regulations, etc., occupational injury rates are not going down. It is assumed that a lack of knowledge is not always the only problem for the modern employee. In a real emergency, it is also the lack of practice that makes the situation truly critical. The use of virtual simulators in the process of staff training is a promising area for development. Virtual reality or augmented reality methods allow employees to practice emergency actions in an almost real environment as many times as it takes to memorize the procedures that save lives and health of employees and their colleagues. Besides, these methods are instrumental in resolving serious operating problems, such as major leaks caused by pipe fracture or equipment failure, when several hazards have to be dealt with at the same time.
The article addresses the main aspects of using virtual simulators for the training of staff to work at hazardous production facilities. The main specific features of applying virtual simulators to production sites are described. The article reviews current developments that are meant to improve the quality of hardware systems of virtual simulators and make them more comfortable, as every technology has its shortcomings.
The authors give examples of virtual simulators they developed for oil refineries.
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