Geng J., Jong M.S.Y., Demichela M., Shi H., Tao H., 2026, Reducing Human Risks in the Chemical Industry through VR-Supported Safety Training, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 126, 133-138.
Human factors remain a major contributor to operational risks in chemical industrial control rooms, revealing the need for effective safety training strategies. This study proposes an integrated human risk assessment approach that combines System-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) with the Success Likelihood Index Method (SLIM), supported by a customized Performance Shaping Factors (PSFs) framework. A comparative experiment involving 68 participants evaluated VR-based and video-based safety training. Participants were assigned to either a VR group (n = 34) or a video group (n = 34), and learning outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests. Although the VR group achieved slightly higher mean scores across all training dimensions, no statistically significant differences were observed (p > 0.05). The customized PSF framework, integrated with the STPA–SLIM approach, enabled systematic identification and quantitative assessment of human reliabilities associated with safety training. The proposed approach provides a practical framework for evaluating digital safety training and offers guidance for enhancing human reliability and supporting safer human-machine collaboration in chemical industrial control rooms.
