A Texas insurance company leveraged virtual reality technology in order to better communicate workplace risk management techniques during its safety summit last week.
Texas Mutual Company’s “Work Safe, Texas” meeting showcased the workers’ compensation insurer’s efforts to highlight best safety practices for businesses in the state. “Safety in a Box,” the virtual reality display, is the latest in the company’s safety training technology.
Attendees were invited to virtually experience the most common workplace risks in Texas without putting themselves or employees in actual danger. According to Jeremiah Bentley, senior marketing manager for Texas Mutual, the four most common causes of death in industry are: trench cave-ins, electrocution, falling objects and falls from heights.
“We’re able to use 3D video technology to simulate those, placing a camera in danger but no people,” Bentley told the
Plano Star Courier. “In the virtual construction zone we have a 360-degree view of the top of a skyscraper, a roof, and we walk you through each scenario.”
Bentley believes this is the first time virtual reality has been leveraged for such a purpose. And the advantages are tangible – the immersive experience helps people understand what experiencing these events are like and may make people “personally more accountable for it,” he said.
Based on the success of “Safety in a Box,” Texas Mutual plans to develop similar apps for the manufacturing and restaurant industries.
The app, and the summit itself, is part of the carrier’s ongoing effort to help Texas companies find a balance between safety and profitability.
“If you are only focused on the profitability of your company and turning away from safety, you’re making a long-term mistake,” said Dyna Tech’s Mark Nyquist, who was invited to speak on one of the summit panels. “I’m hoping that there is some element that [attendees] can take home with them that can impact their business. Something that’s simple that gets them thinking about how they do things.”
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