Hire Association Europe (HAE) has been shortlisted for an award at the prestigious Business Innovation Awards 2019 for developing V-Hire, the virtual reality training tool for the Hire Industry.
The Business Innovation Awards celebrate the best across the UK construction and building industries, where HAE will be up against Cool Blue Brand Communications, Grain Connect, Joule Group, MacRail Systems, Marraum and ProDroneWorx for the Best Use of Emerging Technology award at a gala evening on Wednesday 23rd October at the Midland Hotel, Manchester.
V-Hire is an innovative app using virtual reality (VR) technology to improve the safety of staff operating equipment – offering members and their clients a vivid and realistic learning experience that can be accessed from the safety of the office, or even the home.
Developed for smart phones using Samsung Oculus and Google’s Android systems, V-Hire currently has 19 modules covering topics such as Working at Height, LPG and Electrical Safety, the Dangers of Dust as well as numerous equipment tutorials; a variety of saws, compactors, drills, and generators.
Training modules are designed to test the user’s understanding of the workplace and tool safety, and aims to make customers safer, and reduce risk of injury and damage to equipment. Future modules include a framework for members to track users’ access and performance.
HAE EHA’s Group Marketing Manager, Ann Harrison, said: “Being shortlisted for this award is great news. Our V-Hire programme is a more inventive way to engage hirers so that they are more likely to recognise the safety issues associated with operating equipment, and have the opportunity to improve their skills and knowledge before they even make it onsite.”
