Improving service station safety with virtual reality training
Safeguarding the health and safety of our global workforce is paramount. Our overarching goal is to eliminate fatal and life-altering incidents while continually reducing the risk of injuries across all our operations.
At our service stations, terminals and refineries, providing hands-on, real-life training to prepare operators for situations – such as spills, fires and equipment failures – is inherently challenging. Traditional training programmes often fall short, as they cannot fully replicate the intensity of these scenarios without putting participants at risk or causing undue psychological stress.
To overcome these training limitations, Trafigura has introduced virtual reality (VR) training. Using VR headsets and hand controllers, employees can repeatedly rehearse emergency responses and operational procedures in a safe, controlled environment, free from real-world risk.
Following a three-month pilot programme, participants who completed the VR training reported the following outcomes:
felt safer, more confident and better psychologically prepared
preferred VR training to traditional, instructor-led methods
improved key on-the-job behaviours
acquired new role-specific skills
By integrating VR technology into our training, we are helping to create a culture of innovation and continuous learning. This initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring our people are better equipped to navigate complex, high-risk environments with confidence and competence.