Forklift training can be one of the most valuable skills to have when pursuing any career in heavy industry. In order to operate a forklift, you must be able to not only understand the basic mechanics of steering and braking, but must also know the intricacies of the machine, such as how to take weight distribution into account when using this vehicle for lifting or lowering cargo. It’s important that every new operator is trained correctly, so they don’t end up hurting themselves or others in their workplace. Virtual Reality has proven to be an effective method for teaching forklift skills quickly and effectively, with none of the risks associated with practicing these skills on a real machine. Virtual reality and serious games improves desired training outcomes more than two times quicker than current training methods. Here are some reasons why VR training can help trainees learn faster while reducing potential risks associated with traditional methods.
What is Virtual Reality Training
Virtual reality has been recently used for different training programs. Virtual reality is when you use immersive technology to put yourself into an environment. This is typically created through a headset, but can also be done on a computer screen. Virtual reality has been used by many companies because it's safe, easy and less expensive. But for now, let's get into why it provides a better alternative to traditional training.
Improves Competence and Confidence
With forklift technology advancing rapidly, new training methods are as well. Virtual reality training can teach a student to do almost anything on a forklift in less time than by using traditional methods. Over 1/2 of the incidents happen with new hires within their first year on the job. Forklifts are often used for lifting and lowering heavy loads, so it's important that new operators know how to use their machine as comprehensively as possible. Unlike many basic training courses, which only provide the simple foundations to build knowledge; a person can now learn how to operate a forklift in a realistic feeling simulation, by wearing a virtual reality headset. Many new hire programs have significant amounts of downtime and white space because training is often in large groups with few trainers or few pieces of equipment to use. Real-Forklift virtual reality simulators are a force multiplier. One trainer can actively observe 6 to 10 simulators at one time as opposed to only being able to observe 1 forklift. During training most new hires get 15-30 minutes training on an actual forklift. With a Real-Forklift this time can increase to 2-3 hours of seat time without significantly impacting their training schedule. It also eliminates the risk of actually damaging equipment or injuring someone, as there is no danger involved with simulation.
Lower Costs
Usually, people will end up spending a substantial amount of money to get a professional forklift training certification. Besides that, employees also need to be paid to receive this training. Traditional forklift training can only help you with the initial aspects of forklift operation, but not give you much experience. Virtual training can put you in a position to also receive specialized training along with basic training. This will improve knowledge retention and ultimately save you time and money in the long run.
While taking a certification course in a live setting, it is harder to get the full picture of what you are doing. You can only learn so much from instructors or manuals alone. However, using virtual reality forklift training will give you the opportunity to look at different scenarios and learn the correct way to operate a forklift through experience.
Risk-Free Environment
Unfortunately, forklift accidents are very common, with OSHA statistics indicating that there are roughly 85 forklift fatalities and 34,900 serious injuries each year. By training forklift operators virtually, you can substantially minimize that risk, by reducing the amount of time that they spend in a machine without training. Virtual reality forklift training can be done in a safe environment without fear of injury or death. You can train and gain experience that can be applied in real-life operations from a risk-free machine.
Forklift operations are complicated and take time to master. This is where virtual reality has the advantage in correcting the learning curve, versus traditional methods of training such as videos or live demonstrations. Virtual reality simulations allow trainees a real, hands-on, tangible learning experience, all while being completely safe. Studies have also shown that the learning retention by traditional training methods is 15%. When adding VR, retention rates rise up to 85%.
Forklift training can be easier that the traditional training methods allow. With virtual reality, you can save time, money and make sure your employees are learning in a safe environment. If you are interested in virtual reality forklift training, Really-Virtual can help show you all your options. They have the Real-Forklift program, a forklift training solution that uses virtual reality to put your employees in a risk-free environment, while learning to properly operate a forklift in compliance with OSHA regulations. If you want your employees to learn how to operate a forklift in the safest way possible, contact Really-Virtual today.
