Enhancing Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) Training through Virtual Reality: An Offshore Emergency Evacuation Exercise

The offshore oil and gas industry poses unique safety challenges, particularly during emergencies such as fires, where quick and effective evacuation is critical. This paper explores the use of virtual reality (VR) technology in Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (HSSE) training, specifically through a VR exercise developed for the emergency evacuation scenario on an offshore platform at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP). The exercise focuses on training students to safely evacuate the platform during a fire emergency, navigating through realistic escape routes while avoiding hazards. The study evaluates the effectiveness of VR in enhancing students’ situational awareness, response times, and overall preparedness for real-world emergency situations. The results demonstrate that VR-based training significantly improves understanding of evacuation procedures and decision-making under stress, offering a valuable tool for HSE education in high-risk industries.