APM Terminals Brazil has announced that for Global Safety Day 2018, which took place on April 28, it trialled the use of augmented reality (AR) to teach safety measures to employees.
As part of a campaign titled “Stronger and Safer Together”, the HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) team at APM Terminals Brazil developed an AR app for workers, contractors and visitors to download on their phones.
According to a statement, the app featured videos and 3D information about the risks and safety operations that must be acknowledged in the terminal and surrounding facilities.
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For types of terminal equipment like reachstackers, the app provided information about their location in the terminal, and the safe distance to stand away from the machines while in operation.
Potential dangers were signalled by an animation, which showed the range of motion the machines were capable of and how much space they needed to carry and stack containers in the yard.
Other digital markers were positioned on a virtual map of the terminal to display unsafe areas.
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APM has followed Boeing, DHL and U.S. Marine Corps in testing whether or not AR can improve the effectiveness of employee training.
Market researchers estimate that overall demand for augmented reality will drive market growth from USD $11.4 billion in 2018 to $60.55 billion by 2023.
Gabriel Fiorda Guarnieri, HSE Coordinator for APM Terminals Brazil, commented on the AR app: “We plan to use it for all safety and environmental training and the platform for internal communication to eliminate printed materials.
“We're working together with the marketing and internal communication departments to see how far we go with this initiative. Now people are asking us what will be the next step.”
