The 4th International Symposium on Mine Safety Science and Engineering (ISMSSE2018)

390 / 2018-09-15 21:54:11

Use of Virtual Reality in Underground Roof Fall Hazard Assessment and RIsk Mitigation

virtual reality,hazard assessment,tunneling

Mine Safety Science Theory and Emergency Rescue > Education training and Safety behaviors

Virtual reality simulations are one of the alternative practice environments for safety training as the trainees have the opportunity to gain experience under the most realistic conditions without being exposed to any real hazard. In addition, virtual reality serves as a tool to expedite the decision-making process where quick decisions and actions are necessities for a safe operation. One example of such a situation in underground mines is the failure risks in a newly blasted tunnel face. Ground support systems must be installed based on the stand-up time to ensure the safe access of personnel and equipment to the working area. Generally, a competent person inspects the area to identify risks and determines the required support systems. However, training of a competent person requires a large amount of time and effort. This study presents virtual reality simulations developed for teaching the assessment of the roof fall hazards and taking necessary measures for mitigating the risk related to the hazard. The virtual reality simulation involves decision-making tasks for a particular scenario so that participants can learn how to create a safe working environment in a timely manner. Firstly, they are asked to identify the potential hazard for a newly blasted tunnel face, namely, rock fall, wedge failure or groundwater inflow. If the hazard identification was successful, participants are requested to install rock bolts as a safety measure by choosing appropriate parameters (e.g. bolt length and spacing). Finally, participants evaluate the roof fall hazard by viewing displacements around the opening, before and after the support measures. This study illustrates an example of VR in safety training as well as enhancing the decision-making process to enhance safety.