ThingLink for Immersive Safety Training

Employee workplace safety is a top priority, especially in high-risk industrial environments. Despite this, organizations often struggle to create safety training programs that are engaging and effective for employees. Traditional training methods such as slide shows and in-person lectures fall short and yield low retention rates, which increases the risk of incidents and injuries. Transitioning to training methods with higher engagement and retention rates, such as immersive learning, is essential in order to mitigate and reduce costly workplace incidents.

The International Labour Organization estimates that each year over 2.3 million workers across the world die from work-related factors, and 395 million workers worldwide sustain non-fatal work injuries. Workplace accidents and injuries reportedly cost US businesses $171 billion annually, according to the National Safety Council. In terms of working days, work-related injuries result in over 100 million days lost each year in the US alone.

ThingLink recognizes the urgent need for workplace safety training that is more engaging and impactful and can reduce the risk of human error, injuries, financial costs, and other implications of workplace incidents. ThingLink equips learning and development (L&D) teams with easy-to-use immersive safety training authoring tools that make the creation process quick and easy. Users can create realistic simulations of high-risk work environments to provide hands-on experience in a risk-free setting, increasing employee safety and knowledge retentiononsite after the training.

What is Immersive Safety Training?

In Immersive Safety Training, real-world workplaces, experiences, environments, or scenarios are recreated in an interactive digital environment, to simulate hazardous interactions and potentially dangerous situations. The digital environments can be created through ThingLink’s software and presented in various ways, including:

360° images and videos

Realistic recreations of workplace environments that can be explored by learners. This can consist of standalone individual 360° scenes or multiple linked scenes that act as a virtual tour or walkthrough of an environment. In a virtual tour, learners can choose their own route for self-directed learning, or follow a set path dictated by the creator. They can also be used to create escape rooms or similar problem-solving challenges. Ideal for orientation of a new environment, and for safety training delivered as part of employee onboarding.

Scenario-Based Learning

Courses or modules that place the learner in a realistic scenario with a range of choices and options, each of which can lead to a different consequence or take the learner down a different path leading to an eventual outcome that reflects their choices. The scenario can incorporate all types of visual media, but is particularly effective when 360° imagery and videos are used to create a realistic environment. Branched scenarios are ideal for testing existing safety knowledge and skills in a range of different situations. Linear scenarios are more suitable for providing context for new skills and simulating examples of potential workplace situations.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Using digital technology to enhance physical environments, AR apps can be leveraged to overlay safety instructions and training modules onto physical equipment and environments. For instance, an employee could use an AR app on their smartphone to view a manual or videos about how to safely operate a device or machinery.

Virtual Reality (VR)

When digital training content is delivered via a VR headset, creating the most immersive and realistic simulation of an environment. Learners then interact with objects and information within that space. The benefits of VR safety training generally come from the complete immersion into the virtual space, without distractions from the outside world. Ideal for recreating emergency or time-critical situations where learners need to experience pressure and other emotional responses to potential events and challenges in order to gain confidence around working in the environment.

Digital Twins

Digital and interactive replicas of real-world facilities, buildings, and assets, usually presented in 3D format. The environment or asset behaves in the same way as the real-world version, allowing learners to practice different approaches and experience realistic outcomes.

Immersive Spaces

Shared immersive spaces enable users to transform a physical room into a gateway for experiencing a real or virtual environment alongside others. These spaces facilitate collaboration by allowing participants to engage in a shared digital experience within physical locations such as meeting rooms, showrooms, and classrooms. Beyond educational applications, immersive rooms support enhanced teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving by integrating virtual elements into real-world settings.

Why Enterprises Are Adopting Immersive Safety Training

Organizations globally are pivoting to immersive learning experiences to deliver safety training for reasons including:

Faster training results

Employees who use immersive virtual training learn 4x faster compared to using traditional classroom training. This results in less time spent away from their jobs and higher productivity overall. New employee onboarding can also be completed faster, meaning that new hires reach competency to start work much more quickly.

Decreased overall training costs

The cost of employee training can get expensive when factoring in the cost of hiring trainers, travel and accommodation for employees, renting spaces for in-person training, and the indirect cost of losing employees’ productive working hours during large-scale training sessions. Creating and delivering immersive online learning content for safety training is a more economical and sustainable alternative. Large enterprises can save millions by replacing in-person training with interactive, immersive alternatives. Savings increase with scale. For instance, a recent PwC study on VR training found that:

At 375 learners, VR training achieved cost parity with classroom learning.
At 1,950 learners, VR training achieved cost parity with e-learning - the most cost-effective method of training. If VR training isn’t yet feasible for your organization, interactive and immersive e-learning modules offer a cost-effective alternative that can be accessed on any device, including VR headsets, mobile and desktop.

Higher engagement, knowledge retention, and recall

Immersive training has been shown to engage employees more than traditional methods such as slide shows and classroom-style lectures. Learners retain knowledge more effectively when they interact with training materials. For example, VR safety training outperforms traditional methods in terms of knowledge acquisition and knowledge retention. Stanford / Technical University Denmark found learners recall more when using virtual teaching methods than with traditional methods, resulting in a 76% increase in learning effectiveness. In another study, learners who used immersive learning demonstrated a 250% improvement in skills (performing the correct sequence of steps) when tested on a fire safety procedure.

Easy to create and scale sustainable training for global teams

Content creation can be AI-powered at every stage with immersive safety training - making the process faster and more efficient. Content can also be translated at scale, replaced, and updated more efficiently for adapting training materials across different global and cultural contexts. Immersive online training can be edited to incorporate the most up-to-date research, approaches, and trends so it never becomes obsolete.

Reduced safety incidents

Studies have shown that immersive employee training reduces workplace errors and accidents. Two recent studies showed a 40% and 50% reduction, respectively, in surgical errors when surgeons trained with VR immersive training.

Interactive Safety Training is an OSHA-recommended method of training

To improve safety outcomes when training employees, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, US) recommends interactive and participatory training that allows for practice and application of the skills being taught.

Increasingly, it’s what (younger) employees expect and demand

In 2018, Millennials became the largest cohort in the global workforce. In 2024, the proportion of Gen Z overtook Boomers in the full-time workforce and will overtake Millennials by the 2040s. This is the first generation of digital natives who have no experience or memory of the world before smartphones. They expect interactive and technology-driven methods of training, incorporating bite-sized content. Organizations that provide this type of training will find it easier to attract and retain members of this employee cohort.

How ThingLink Enables Easy, Scalable Immersive Safety Training Authoring

ThingLink is an innovative platform that makes it easy for anyone to create immersive, interactive visual experiences for a variety of learning and development applications, including safety training. The main products in the ThingLink suite - the Multimedia Editor, ThingLink Scenario Builder, and the ThingLink AR Solution - all work in the same simple, intuitive way and are easy to master with no coding required.

The ThingLink Multimedia Editor

ThingLink creators can embed hotspot tags into images, videos, and 360° content. These hotspots can include links, text, images, 3D models, and videos, enriching the user experience by providing layered information within a single piece of content. Using 360° imagery is particularly valuable for allowing new employees to become familiar with any physical environment. Safety instructions, hazard information, emergency protocols, demonstration videos, and more can be embedded. Learning instantly becomes interactive and dynamic, leading to higher learner engagement and better knowledge retention.

Learning & Development teams can use AI-powered image generation tools to create the base visual environments or use 360° imagery to upload an authentic and realistic depiction of a real site or location. ThingLink’s AI-assisted Pano to 360° tool can also transform panoramic images of real locations into photospheres for use as immersive backgrounds. They also have free access to the ThingLink 360° image library.

ThingLink Scenario Builder

ThingLink Scenario Builder allows creators to easily create an interactive learning module on any subject, following Scenario-Based Learning strategies. This can include branching paths, requiring trainees to make real-time safety decisions - and see the consequences of these choices - in a safe space. Learning scenarios can have time limits added for extra pressure when simulating high-stakes environments that are time-bound. ThingLink 360° scenes are easily incorporated into any scenario, creating a powerful combination of realistic immersive training environments, problem-based learning, and assessment.

Easy-to-understand analytics and more detailed xAPI Tracking allow safety managers and HR teams to check the progress of each learner, and see which routes and decisions they have made. This makes it easy to provide real-time and instant feedback and also gives authors helpful data on engagement metrics, allowing creators to understand how learners interact with their content. This feature is essential for organizations evaluating the effectiveness of safety training content and identifying areas for improvement, refining and developing their safety training programs accordingly.

XR Safety Training with the ThingLink AR App

The ThingLink AR Solution allows creators to annotate real-life objects by scanning them with a phone and adding a digital layer of interactive tags. Learners then view the annotations in the AR app on any phone or tablet, simply by pointing their device and scanning the object that has been tagged. This solution can be used for on-site safety training and is particularly valuable for refresher training, specific device training, and delivering safety advice and training to employees in the field or in remote locations,

ThingLink AI Tools and Templates for Easier Safety Training Authoring

To make your creation process even faster, easier, and more efficient, ThingLink has integrated several helpful AI tools and scenario templates.

AI Tools In the ThingLink Multimedia Editor:

AI Image Generation: Create both 2D and 360° images using AI-powered tools.
Tag Suggestions: ThingLink AI can recommend relevant tags for your content. To provide the AI with extra context, you can also upload a PDF from which ThingLink AI can extract information for the tag generations.

AI Tools In the ThingLink Scenario Builder:

Suggest Branches: ThingLink AI can propose four branching paths based on the scenario's content, helping to develop dynamic, interactive experiences.
Generate Questions: Instantly create multiple-choice questions aligned with the scenario’s material.
Write a Recap: AI generates a concise summary of the scenario, ensuring key information is retained.

Additionally, within the scenario text boxes, users can benefit from these further AI tools:

Improve Writing: AI refines and enhances written content for clarity and impact.
Suggest a Matching Image: Receive AI-powered image recommendations relevant to the text.
Convert Text to a ThingLink Scene: Leverage text-to-image AI to transform written content into an interactive ThingLink scene.

Module Templates in ThingLink Scenario Builder

ThingLink provides four pre-designed scenario models that serve as a foundation for creating a training scenario. These models appear as soon as you begin building your safety scenario, allowing you to adapt, edit, and customize the content to meet your specific training needs.

Each model includes placeholder text, questions, branching options, and media, which can be easily replaced with your own material. This streamlined approach helps speed up the content creation process.

However, if a more tailored experience is required, you still have the option to build a scenario entirely from scratch. This ensures complete creative control, allowing for the development of truly bespoke safety training materials that align with your unique learning objectives.

Scalable Safety Training: Accessibility

Thing Link’s AI-powered automatic translations make it easier to create multilingual training resources, for global enterprises that require the development of safety training at scale. Translation of ThingLink training content is almost instant and currently supports over 30 languages. For training content creators, the ThingLink creation interface is currently available in 21 different languages. More languages for both learners and creators are being added all the time.

Accessibility features support creators to make ThingLink content that is more inclusive and can reach more diverse audiences. These include:

Microsoft Immersive Reader: This is an integrated reading tool that can read aloud all text contents of a tag. It can also be used to translate the tag into over 80 languages.
Accessibility Player: ThingLink's accessibility player is a specialized viewing mode designed to improve the accessibility of images and videos. It complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure broader access for users with disabilities. Key features include compatibility with screen readers, keyboard navigation support, alternative text for images, high-contrast mode, adjustable text size, and the inclusion of captions and transcripts.
Other accessibility elements that creators can add to ThingLink content include alt text for media inside tags and background media to help learners who use screen-readers understand the visual media attached to the modules (this is a text alternative for images and other media content, which is generated automatically using the scene's title but can be easily edited), closed captions for base video content are easily uploaded, and keyboard controls including basic keyboard accessibility for viewing content created in the multimedia editor are available for all content, including 360° images and videos.

Scalable Safety Training: Versatile Formats, Devices, and Integrations

ThingLink interactive safety training content can be shared and viewed in a number of ways, allowing learners to access it individually or in groups, on their own devices, or via an organizational LMS. This combination and variety of formats ensures that organizations can find their own optimal solution for safety training delivery depending on the specific content type, location, timeframe, individual employee requirements and preferences, and more.

ThingLink Safety Training on VR Headsets

ThingLink 360° images and videos can be easily viewed in virtual reality (VR) mode and is compatible with most headsets. In addition, the ThingLink XR app for Meta Quest and Pico makes it easy to view and distribute your ThingLink content with learners using these popular headsets.

ThingLink Safety training in shared immersive spaces

ThingLink currently partners with Igloo Vision, Epson, BenQ, and OiOi to create shared immersive spaces for learning and training. Fully immersive spaces where the floor and ceiling are also visually integrated and interactive are highly effective for ThingLink immersive training in situations such as construction sites, aircraft, factories, and warehouses - where many hazards are likely to be present overhead and underfoot.

ThingLink Safety training on any screen including mobile devices

ThingLink safety training is easily shared via a link to any mobile device, meaning training can be undertaken anytime, anywhere, on the move, and on-site. This is particularly beneficial for training employees in the field and on the job in remote locations, where familiarity with their own devices and operating systems increases confidence and trust. It also means that safety training can take place asynchronously and in a hybrid fashion, as employees interact with their environment.

In general, the same safety training content can be used across all of these different devices and formats, with only minimal changes to optimize the training for the method of delivery. This means that content creation is streamlined, fast, and efficient.

Integrations and interoperability

ThingLink also seamlessly connects with various learning management systems (LMS) and other tools and platforms, allowing for easy integration of interactive content into existing learning and development frameworks. It does this through the LTI 1.3 Integration. LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) 1.3 is the latest version of the standard, with enhanced security and functionalities, ensuring a robust and secure connection between ThingLink and an LMS.

LTI 1.3 allows learning designers and trainers to easily embed their ThingLink content into their LMS without using an embed code. It includes easy ways to sign in and the ability (with selected LMSs) to send scenarios scores as grades back to the LMS.

LMSs that integrate with ThingLink via LTI 1.3 include:

Canvas
Moodle
Blackboard
ItsLearning
D2L Brightspace
Schoolology

Seamless integrations for SSO

ThingLink also provides seamless integrations for single sign-on (SSO) and account provisioning, including:

Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) SSO
Okta SSO
Google Workspace SSO with Google App Licensing integration

You can also embed ThingLink content into a number of other learning and development platforms, such as Thikific (via the Thinkific App store), Articulate and Teachable - and any other platform that allows for i-frame embedding.

The ThingLink Multimedia Editor also features the following inbuilt integrations for content creation:

Canva: Easily design any type of visual content within the ThingLink editor itself, using the world’s most popular, easiest, and free-to-use online graphic design tool.
Unsplash: 7 million free-to-use images for using as background media or in tags
Inbuilt AI image generation tools (Skybox for creating 360 images for background media, and IMAGEN3 for creating 2D images both for background media and within tags).

Use Cases: Applications of ThingLink in Safety Training

Manufacturing

Virtual tour of a factory, created with 360 images and videos created in the ThingLink Multimedia Editor - to aid orientation and train in hazard recognition.
First aid and emergency protocols training created in ThingLink Scenario Builder.

Construction

Site safety orientation and accident prevention, using ThingLink Editor to create a 360 virtual tour around different spaces, delivered either in VR or in a shared immersive space such as Igloo to incorporate overhead and underfoot hazard awareness.
Machinery and device safe use and familiarization created through the ThingLink AR Solution.

Healthcare

Emergency response safety: a scenario built in ThingLink Scenario Builder, delivered remotely under timed conditions to a multi-agency team to replicate a real-life situation where not all agencies are on the ground or able to view the situation first-hand.
Patient safety simulation created using ThingLink Multimedia Editor and delivered in a shared immersive space to replicate an Emergency Department realistically.
Infection control safety authored using ThingLink Scenario Builder to simulate the spread of disease depending on steps taken and choices made.

Energy and Utilities

Escape rooms to train in navigating power and water stations safely in an emergency, created in ThingLink Multimedia Editor and delivered via VR headsets.
Electrician and gas engineer safety training on specific models using ThingLink’s AR Solution on smartphone, to teach safe troubleshooting and fault finding when working alone in the field using a personal device.

Stora Enso

One of the world’s oldest companies, Stora Enso, innovated its safety training for forklift drivers and other warehouse employees with realistic 3D and 360 VR simulations using ThingLink’s Scenario Builder and Multimedia Editor tools, and delivered via Meta Quest headsets. These were easily and quickly translated into 11 languages for employees worldwide. Their results include:

Higher engagement and knowledge retention,
Higher completion rates,
Increased accessibility,
Significant cost-savings.

“Because we now have training in 11 languages, we’re able to let employees in all our global locations experience just what it feels like to operate the forklift – without putting them or anyone else in danger.” Jolanta, Safety Training Manager, Stora Enso

Mitsubishi Electric UK

MEUK historically delivered a high volume of training content via blended learning. However, given a shortage of available trainers and only two training centers, they needed a new solution.

ThingLink training was developed and delivered via Meta Quest 3 VR headsets and other platforms.

The benefits they are already reporting include:

Fast and easy content creation and Increased engagement with training that is “immersive and fun”. In post-course feedback, 99% of attendees would recommend the new format of the courses.
Cumulative cost-savings and sustainability: comparison of the annual training consumables and catering costs alone between 2023 (in-person) and 2024 (blended learning, using ThingLink VR and online training) showed total savings £220,970 for MEUK, based on 9,252 trainees. In addition, MEUK estimates that 462,600 travel miles were saved.
New starters are now able to access courses without having to wait for a trainer to become available.
Versatile delivery across a range of platforms and devices:

“The great thing about the VR content on ThingLink is that it doesn’t HAVE to be viewed through a VR headset. Those who prefer a computer or simply don’t have a VR headset, can still appreciate this content.” Steve Clark, Technical Trainer, MEUK

WaterLAB - R&D for Utility networks

WaterLAB is an R&D space for water systems, facilities, and networks. They have created resources using the ThingLink AR Solution to support field technicians, specifically in optimizing the speed, efficiency, and safety of troubleshooting operations for applications and instruments used in water networks around the world.

Reduces errors
Increases success rate and precision of troubleshooting
Reduces danger to staff.
This in turn reduces costs – less unintentional damage to expensive or critical equipment, less time spent in the field troubleshooting or awaiting resolution.

“It’s much easier for even untrained staff to go into the field with this kind of support. You can be confident that that person is doing their job correctly.” Patryk Wojtowicz, WaterLAB

Fingrid - National power grid creates virtual 360 orientations with ThingLink for safety training

Fingrid created over 100 virtual safety briefings to ensure that employees can access facility safety instructions at any time. These replaced face-to-face briefings that required employees to travel vast distances to individual substations, substantially reducing Fingrid’s costs. Employees can now virtually move around the premises and move to other substations if necessary to find additional information. ThingLink’s instant cloning feature means that Fingrid can easily create iterations of the originals for different target groups, cutting development time vs. outsourced content production which can be costly and time-consuming.

“ThingLink has been seen as a very good tool – today’s application improves security and makes navigating the substations much easier.” Veijo Siiankoski, Condition Manager, Fingrid

How to Get Started with ThingLink for Your Enterprise Safety Training

1. Book a consultation with our sales team to receive a demo, and see the power of ThingLink in action. In this session, our team will suggest how ThingLink could be used to suit your specific needs and uses.

2. Learning how to use ThingLink is easy, and our team will guide you through your onboarding process through a kickoff session and onboarding guides.

3a. If you have existing training PDFs or slide decks, ThingLink’s AI-Powered Scenario Builder can make your process seamless and speedy! All you’ll need to do is upload your PDF or slide deck, and ThingLink AI will transform it into a modernized, immersive version of your training.

3b. If you don’t have existing training materials that you’d like to transform, no worries! You can create an immersive training experience from scratch, using ThingLink AI along the way to generate or enhance your modules.

4. Once your immersive safety training modules are edited and finalized, the content will be ready to share and experience across any device, including mobile, desktop, VR, and even physical shared immersive spaces. To make deploying safety training even easier, you can create a customizable landing page directly through the ThingLink interface to organize multiple training experiences and assign them to learners.

How to Use ThingLink with Your Existing Safety Training Tech Stack

The versatility of ThingLink means that its training materials can equally easily be used alongside or embedded in your existing tools such as Articulate, used in your current LMS, or used as a standalone platform.

To embed your ThingLink interactive content within an existing platform, simply make use of one of the integrations if applicable, or use the embed code when sharing your content.

If you’re currently using static PDFs or PowerPoint you can almost instantly convert these to interactive training in ThingLink by using ThingLink’s Create with AI feature. The tool will suggest a framework for your training that you can easily edit and enhance with visuals and text.

Used as a standalone platform, you can choose to share your ThingLinksafety training via direct link, or create a branded Landing Page to host each course or module.

Create Immersive Safety Training with ThingLink

Your goal is to ensure that all your employees are as safe as possible while working, reducing the risk of accidents that can have a potentially devastating effect on your organization. ThingLink’s goal is to empower anyone to develop and deliver the most time and cost-effective safety training of a consistently high quality, that is realistic and engaging. Allowing learning and development teams to easily and quickly create immersive training at scale is unique to ThingLink, with no other tools on the market offering comparable software solutions. Book a consultation today to learn more about how ThingLink can fulfill your immersive safety training authoring needs.

ThingLink for Immersive Safety Training Authoring

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