Development of a training simulator for offshore crane operators

This report concludes that there is great scope for expansion of the simulation facilities so far developed. In particular, it is recognised that training and competency testing of teams of personnel such as the banksman and supply ship's master could be integrated into crane simulator training scenarios and that this approach offers great potential for reducing the number of crane related accidents. On launching the simulator at the 7th Offshore Crane Conference, an introduction to this possibility was offered by demonstration of the banksman's view of crane operation being seen through a VR (Virtual Reality) headset. It was apparent from the response of conference delegates that this level of interaction would mark a real step forward in raising offshore crane training standards. This report and the work it describes were funded by the HSE. Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. The number of mechanical handling incidents in the UK offshore industry remained at an unacceptably high level towards the end of the 1990s. Consequently HSE introduced a Key Programme of work in 2001 that aimed to reduce the number of offshore lifting and mechanical handling accidents and dangerous occurrences by 15 % over a three-year period. One element of this is to increase awareness of the issues and seek to improve and monitor the competence of personnel involved with offshore lifting operations, especially crane operators. Traditional training courses cannot usually provide trainee exposure to the type of operating conditions that may give rise to accidents if inappropriate actions are taken. With this in mind HSE commissioned Drilling Systems (UK) Ltd to develop an integrated training package based around a sophisticated crane simulator to provide crane operator exposure to simulated normal and dangerous conditions in a safe training environment. Industry partners A1 Safety Training Services Ltd provided substantial technical support during the course of the project. A high level of assistance was also provided by Kenz Cranes B.V. The training package was developed by Drilling Systems (UK) Ltd with substantial assistance from industry partner, A1 Safety Training Consultants. The package incorporates a document that identifies key …