Pre-Implementation Evaluation of VR as a Mine Safety Training Tool

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bellanca, Jennica L. ; Hoebbel, Cassandra L.
• Description:
  High-fidelity, immersive training is known for its learning and logistical benefits. While other industries have been using virtual reality (VR) for decades, the same uptake has not been seen in mining. NIOSH recently developed an adaptable, scalable VR training platform, VR Mine Rescue Training (VR-MRT), which has attracted significant industry interest. NIOSH is using VR-MRT to understand the barriers to adoption and implementation of VR. As a part of a larger evaluation effort, researchers have conducted pre-implementation surveys and interviews from individuals at various implementation levels. In this paper, the authors use this feedback to formally evaluate VR-MRT's acceptability and appropriateness for mine rescue training and identify barriers to the implementation of VR training more generally. The results highlight a significant interest in using VR and preference towards using VR-MRT as a supplement to existing mine rescue training as opposed to a replacement. The results also identify potential implementation barriers for using VR for mine safety training in general including understanding how VR training fits in with compliance, getting external and internal IT support, and company and individual buy-in. Researchers describe ongoing efforts to overcome these barriers using VR-MRT as a case study.
• Subjects:
  Mining Occupational Health Safety Virtual Reality
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Virtual Reality; Training; Mine Rescue; Implementation Science Mine Safety; Virtual Reality; Training; Mine Rescue; Mining Industry; Emergency Preparedness;
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  2524-3462
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Pennsylvania ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  17 pdf pages
• Volume:
  43
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071137
• Citation:
  Min Metall Explor 2026 Feb; 43(1):727-743
• Email:
  JBellanca@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5759205a8de029bb78714cab3eef02cfcf06301da1eba58ca07db80611651e0efbc5a218c70164156845a0519bb1f49c11bddc95617fa59bb4c22047f9da54ea
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/257904/cdc_257904_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.08 MB ]