Virtual reality to enhance risk management and safety in electrical substations

In high-risk environments, such as electrical substations, operation and maintenance are complex and dangerous tasks, which is reflected in the high occupational accident rate in the energy sector. The need to improve worker training to reduce accidents is critical, specially where human error or equipment failure can result in injury to workers or the public. his case study evaluates the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (VR) versus traditional training methods used for electrical substation workers that must work in high electrical risk environments. The trial is developed in three phases within the context of the operational framework for an infrastructure and energy company in Spain. In the first phase, both training approaches are compared by means of theoretical tests complemented by immersive simulations, which are tested in a real project environment. In the second, the knowledge obtained in the real project environment is evaluated, and in the third, participants are subjected to an emergency simulation in a controlled environment to measure their response capacity. The results suggest that the incorporation of VR training significantly improves knowledge retention, risk identification and decision making under pressure. Therefore, this research confirms the value of VR simulation as an effective training tool in high-risk environments, providing a safe and practical experience that reduces the incidence of occupational accidents in electrical substations.