GKR Scaffolding VR training launch
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GKR Scaffolding unveils their groundbreaking immersive Virtual Reality safety training.

At a swish launch event held in London last week, scaffolding specialists GKR Scaffolding showcased to the industry, their first-of-it’s kind VR safety at height training.

The multi award-winning firm GKR aims to influence behavioral and attitudinal change using a Virtual Reality world and a set of real-life scaffolding scenarios.

Working in partnership with eLearning Studios, GKR have created an amazing virtual reality environment using real scaffold designs from scaffolds GKR have installed in the past.

GKR’s Health and Safety Director Peter Cullen explained that the fully immersive live scenarios, set over three modules are played out through VR headset googles and headphones.

In each module, GKR operatives have to stop a dangerous situation from developing. Failure to stop and intervene leads to the GKR operative witnessing a fellow scaffolder or member of the public getting seriously hurt.

The firm’s aim is to show scaffolders, in a VR simulation that comes as close to reality as possible, how taking even small risks on site can lead to life-altering or fatal injuries.

At the event, Business Strategy Director Helen Gawor said: “This is a really exciting time for us at GKR as we are about to roll out this innovative new training program that we think will engage our staff and influence safe behavior in a way that hasn’t been done before. 

Working at height is one of the biggest causes of fatalities and major injuries in our industry. Incidents are rare for companies like us that don’t compromise the safety of our people. But we still need to ensure that we are striving to not only improve our safety culture and training but also explore new ways of reinforcing behaviors and also attitudes to safety in the way we work.”

GKR is up for a 2018 Construction News Specialist award for this first-of-its-kind training, which the firm is set to roll out across its company throughout 2018.

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