Construcciones Yamaro: McConnell Dowell turns to virtual reality to raise plant awareness
Grounding training in lived experience, McConnell Dowell is using virtual reality to lift safety outcomes across its sites and the wider industry.
Safety underpins every facet of McConnell Dowell’s work, shaping decisions from early planning through to daily interactions with stakeholders and communities. When the company sees an opportunity to improve that practice, it moves quickly.
Interactions between people and plant are among the most challenging parts of construction work. Blind spots, split-second decisions and the cognitive strain carried by operators are rarely visible to those working around heavy equipment. In fact, according to Safe Work Australia, plant is one of the leading causes of injury and death in the industry.
This challenge became even more pronounced after two separate plant-related incidents on McConnell Dowell projects, which ultimately resulted in an enforceable undertaking with WorkSafe Victoria.
Greg Evangelakos, health and safety manager for Australia at McConnell Dowell, says the undertaking prompted a reassessment of how the company builds awareness of the challenges, limitations and risks plant operators face.
“We have many new entrants coming into construction. We have engineers fresh out of university and we have green workers who have never worked around plant before. Our motivation was to increase people’s awareness of blind spots in a meaningful way,” says Evangelakos.
“Traditional training methods involve showing pictures on a screen or running through a PowerPoint. Those approaches have value, but they do not give people a real-life experience. We wanted people not only to understand blind spots but also to genuinely appreciate them.”
It became apparent that conventional training could take the workforce only so far. Classroom education and toolbox talks could explain concepts, but they could not replicate the pressure of tracking moving plant in a live environment. Even practical exercises had constraints. Crews were invited to sit inside parked machinery to observe the operator’s field of vision, but the logistics were difficult to manage. Machines had to be positioned safely, sessions took time and the approach could not be scaled across large groups or frequent inductions.
McConnell Dowell sought a tool that closed the gap between explanation and lived experience, elevating awareness for all personnel rather than operators alone. The search led to virtual reality (VR).
The team trialled several VR systems, even considering developing one in-house, but none delivered the realism or practicality the company was looking for. Attention turned to Cat Simulators’ SimLite systems.
“There are many options in the VR space and plenty of advertising, but when we found the Cat SimLite unit, we saw something that is highly portable and scalable,” says Evangelakos. “The controls are real Caterpillar controls taken from actual machinery. It is designed by the manufacturer of the plant we use on site, so the cab layout and the blind spots are based on real equipment. It feels like you are in a real machine, and that authenticity matters.”
Cat Simulators systems have long supported operator development, yet McConnell Dowell recognised the potential to extend their value.
“We wanted to increase people’s appreciation for how difficult it is for operators to maintain concentration and remain aware of everything around them while completing a task. We wanted to elevate the level of respect for operators,” says Evangelakos. “Too many people were becoming comfortable around plant and assuming the operator knew they were there. People were stepping into operating zones without understanding how demanding the operator’s job is.”
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After the successful trial of one SimLite unit, McConnell Dowell launched the VR Plant Awareness Training Program, aimed at reducing incidents caused by unsafe or high-risk actions.
The program provides workers with a clearer understanding of the challenges plant operators face, particularly what operators cannot see, which in turn encourages self-responsibility and safer behaviour around plant. It does this through an experiential learning approach that lets workers view plant operations from the operator’s perspective in a safe virtual environment, while reinforcing the importance of existing control measures such as positive communication.
Using their existing knowledge of typical operating conditions, participants begin with a short online survey accessed via a QR code, rating the percentage of blind spots they believe exist around the machine. They then watch a short instructional video on the simulator controls before starting a pre-set operating task.
After placing the VR headset on and entering the SimLite system, participants sit behind the controls of a piece of machinery and carry out a task within a realistic construction environment. Once the task is complete, they are asked to reassess the extent of blind spots based on their experience in the simulator.
To conclude the session, participants complete the final part of the survey, answering questions such as ‘Did the task require more or less concentration than you expected?’ and ‘If you had been operating the machine in real life, would you have been able to identify an approaching person with confidence?’
The training takes about 15 minutes, a duration Evangelakos says is long enough to make an impression yet short enough to maintain focus, particularly for younger workers who enter the industry with different learning preferences.
“Learning has evolved,” he says. “Traditional classroom training, where you sit for an hour staring at slides, just doesn’t work with most new entrants anymore. If participants aren’t actively involved within the first five to ten minutes, they can quickly become disengaged. VR changes that dynamic by gamifying education, making learning interactive and immersive.”
The efficiency gains are compelling. A classroom session might take 20 to 30 workers offline at once, whereas VR rotates participants individually. Up to 30 people can complete the training in a day with minimal disruption to operations.
“It has high educational value and low productivity impact,” says Evangelakos.
McConnell Dowell has taken the program across states and projects, training more than 2,000 employees and subcontractors, including supervisors, engineers, labourers and spotters.
The participant survey found that 96 per cent developed a greater appreciation of the challenges faced by heavy equipment operators, 93 per cent increased their awareness of blind spots, and 91 per cent reported that operating heavy equipment required a higher level of concentration than expected. It also showed that 95 per cent considered the VR plant simulation to be a good learning tool, 83 per cent found it hard, or were unable to keep track of, their surroundings, and 85 per cent found it difficult to notice what was happening around them while operating the simulated equipment.
“Participant feedback has been outstanding. We have had people say they will change how they approach plant because they now understand how dangerous it can be,” says Evangelakos.
“We had a planner responsible for designing site compounds who said the experience made them rethink how they design work areas to give operators more space. That is a major impact.
“It means we are not only influencing behaviour around plant but also improving the design of work areas themselves.”
Seeing these positive results and aiming to create broader industry impact, McConnell Dowell purchased two additional units. One was provided to Box Hill Institute TAFE for 24 months to incorporate into training for third-year plumbing and carpentry apprentices.
“For too long, we have waited until workers arrive on site, then tried to pair them with a mentor,” says Evangelakos. “By engaging with TAFE, we reach people before they enter the workforce. That is where the next generation of workers are coming from.”
The other unit was made available for other construction companies to loan at no cost.
“Improving how McConnell Dowell operates is one thing, but we also have a responsibility to give back to the industry,” says Evangelakos. “We did not want to internalise a tool that can improve safety outcomes. Making it available to the industry allows others to benefit, and the uptake has been impressive.”
The program’s expansion reflects McConnell Dowell’s commitment to lifting safety standards across the sector. By improving understanding of plant operations at every stage of a career, from apprenticeship through to site leadership, the company is contributing to a workforce that is more aware, better prepared and committed to safer behaviour.
Information on the VR Plant Awareness Training Program, including booking enquiries, is available here.
The post McConnell Dowell turns to virtual reality to raise plant awareness appeared first on Inside Construction.
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