Selwyn Times: March 21, 2018

2
SELWYN TIMES [Edition datE]
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Wednesday March 21 2018 39
SELWYN RURAL LIFE
New technology
enhances safety
at worksites
Fonterra and Beca
have partnered
to develop a
breakthrough virtual
reality health and
safety training
technology.
Fonterra and Beca have partnered to
develop a breakthrough virtual reality
health and safety training technology.
The cutting-edge solution lets employees
navigate the co-operative’s manufacturing
and distribution sites without the need to
set foot on site and will help substantially
reduce onboarding times.
The new technology will place Fonterra
at the forefront of global health and safety
innovation and is part of a business wide
commitment to become a world leader in
risk mitigation.
Fonterra director of health and safety,
resilience and risk Greg Lazzaro says VR
has the potential to be a game changer at
the co-operative.
“The opportunities for VR are significant.
With this solution, we can replicate the
physical environment of our sites, so staff
can undertake virtual health and safety
training in an extremely immersive and
realistic way. That means our people can
learn about and identify potential hazards
more quickly than ever, encouraging more
engaged employees and better workplace
safety.
Following a successful pilot, the new
VR technology will replace a significant
portion of the hands-on health and safety
training at Fonterra that is often costlier and
less effective. Training can be tailored to
each of Fonterra’s sites and tested through
the completion of modules. Andrew
Cowie, Project Manager for Beca, says
the technology is the future of health and
safety training and can be easily replicated
in other workplaces and training areas.
“Walmart now trains using VR, American
footballers are using it and so is the military.
Our clients are increasingly interested in
the application of VR technologies and
the value it can add to their businesses.
“In this case, using VR for training is ideal
as it is effective whilst being both cost
and time efficient. The reality capture for
these training tours is done easily with a
handheld camera and the VR simulation
works via a smart phone using a simple
cardboard headset,” says Mr Cowie.
Mr Lazzaro says while it’s a novelty
at first, using VR is ultimately a safer
learning environment and enables a
strong familiarsation of sites for Fonterra
employees.
“While our health and safety
performance continues to improve we
are always looking for ways to reduce
risk to our employees. Using VR means
our people can experience hazards in a
realistic simulated environment, enhancing
learning experiences, without being put in
harm’s way,” says Mr Lazzaro.
Greg Lazarro
Canterbury
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