Technology and the internet have made the world smaller—in some cases.

For the world of building construction, distance still poses challenges. Completing projects requires skilled craftspeople to be in place on location. The concern for contractors remains ensuring workers on a jobsite — often long distances from the corporate office — receive the proper safety training. For companies like Haskell who implement a safety program more stringent than that prescribed by OSHA, it’s important that remote craftsmen and subcontractors understand the required elevated level of safety responsibility.

Haskell’s Director of Virtual Construction Ryan Camer and Director of Construction, Danny Parmenter realized an opportunity to make a positive impact on the company’s safety program through the use of technology. Working with students from Purdue University’s Department of Computer Graphics Technology, Haskell’s Vice President of Corporate Safety, Lance Simons, and others, the group developed virtual safety video training deliverable to mobile devices in any office, field trailer or remote jobsite.

Recognizing data that showed recipients of visual learning aides better retained information, the Haskell team leveraged technology to develop an initial series of construction safety videos. Unlike similar tools, Haskell’s training involves animations of various jobsite safety conditions, combined with audio narration and subtitles indicating Haskell Code of Safe Practices requirements. Trainees now experience safety instruction in the same context in which they will be expected to practice those guidelines.

The concept of virtual training has become a staple for the military due to reduced costs, shorter training curves and effectiveness as seen in the abilities of trainees once in the real world. Incorporating virtual jobsite conditions into construction safety training made sense to Camer and Parmenter.

Because the videos can be placed on YouTube or any shared server, Haskell’s safety training will now be available on any computer or hand held mobile device. Camer and Parmenter plan to develop a multi-lingual series of videos in the future.

Parmenter believes that virtual training benefits the entire industry, not just Haskell, “Project safety is universal.”

We invite you to review Haskell’s first set of training videos on our YouTube channel.