PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT TRAINING METHODS FOR INDUSTRIAL OPERATORS

Training is considered as one of the most important components in the process industry. The progress in development of training methods with respect to the increased complexity of industrial processes are still not completely aligned. The role and cognitive tasks of operators are intensified by automation, computerization and mechanization, thereby, increasing not only the complexity but also the sensitivity of the consequences of their actions on the process. Aim of this study is assessing cognitive performance, skills and reactions of industrial operator(s) under abnormal situations as a function of distinct training methods. In particular, in this work, we experimentally analyze two training methods: Power Point presentation and 3D virtual environment. The results showed that the operators trained by means of a 3D environment performed better, when tested under emergency conditions as compared to those trained with other classic approaches.