There’s nothing to be afraid of – it’s just a simulation. But experiencing what it’s like almost 200 m high, on top of a blast furnace, can make a person discover new things about themselves.

Trainees who would otherwise consider themselves ready to repair and maintain the two towering blast furnaces at the Arcelor Mittal steel plant in Vanderbijlpark, about 70 km outside Johannesburg, South Africa, first have to undergo virtual reality (VR) training, according to a report in Quartz Africa. The training allows them to experience what it’s like being on top of a blast furnace, without ever leaving the office.

The goal of the Blast Furnace Experience VR training is to identify any signs of a fear of heights in workers, which could save lives or prevent injury once they are actually deployed. A moving platform that imitates the lift and fans of the actual environment has been designed by trainer LRMG Performance Agency together with animation and game developer Sea Monster – in order to make the experience as real as possible.

Of the 400 trainees who have already been tested, eight showed a fear of heights of which they were unaware.

22 May 2018
Image: Sea Monster