Health and Safety training with a twist

Fletcher Construction Company (FCC) is on a mission to improve the health and safety culture at one of its largest sites and across its organisation. Using virtual reality (VR) technology, we've enabled FCC to do this in an engaging, memorable way.

A priority for FCC is the effective delivery of safe construction site inductions to its large network of staff and contractors.

With its leading role in the construction of New Zealand’s International Convention Centre (NZICC), we worked closely with FCC to develop a VR-based training module for inducting workers on-site.

Site inductions are the first opportunity to set the culture of health and safety expectations on any project, however traditional videos and PowerPoint presentations are often ineffective for holding people’s attention.

To increase knowledge retention and provide realistic, immersive inductions, we developed a VR module that can be customised for specific training objectives and varying learning styles. This module also includes a variety of language translations catering to the significant number of inductees for whom English is a second language.

This feature allows individuals to select the language that they feel most comfortable with for the induction, increasing the knowledge transfer and engagement of users. We also advised FCC on the most appropriate VR platform and hardware to meet its needs.

Since using the VR-based training module, FCC have reported positive feedback and higher levels of engagement during staff induction sessions. This will ultimately lead to better health and safety behaviour, not to mention a more productive, happier environment in which Fletcher can continue delivering iconic projects across New Zealand and the South Pacific.

The Beca-FCC team were also recognised for their innovation with this project, winning an award for Outstanding Project Team at the Fletcher Excellence Awards.