Setting high expectations
Falls from height are a major cause of workplace deaths and serious injuries and safety measures and training are essential to protect people. Figures released by the Health and Safety Executive earlier this month show that 35 people in the UK were killed in falls in 2024/25 – more than a quarter of all workplace deaths during that period.
But it can be difficult to accurately recreate the experience of working at height and help people prepare for the different conditions and emotions that can affect them. A new study has examined the role virtual reality (VR) and multisensory stimulation can play in training workers in safe environments so they’re ready for taking on tasks on height.
VR software was used to simulate walking out on to a plank that was suspended high in the air over the edge of a building. As well as the visual effects created by the VR system, participants walked along a physical plank with a piece of rubber attached to it to make it more unstable. The effects of the wind at height were also recreated used sound effects and a fan.
Participants’ heart rates were measured during different combinations of the VR and the multisensory additions and they filled in questionnaires about their experience.
The study, published in the journal Applied Ergonomics, found that the most realistic experience was provided by adding both the wind and the unstable plank. This was also the favourite combination of 86% of the participants.
The study said: “This research has demonstrated the value of multimodal simulation in an at height virtual experience. Whilst further work is needed to understand the nuances of multimodal simulation and its implementation in any specific scenario, the use of low-cost sensory stimuli of a plank and stand fan were clearly effective in this at height simulator.”
