Enhanced fire escape training for mine 


workers using virtual reality simulation
 

T.J. Orr, L.G. MaLLeT, K.a. MarGOLis 

T.J.Orr, member sMe, is computer engineer with the National 

institute for Occupational safety and Health, spokane research 

Laboratory, spokane, Wa; L.G. Mallet and K.A. Margolis, 

are lead research scientist and health communication fellow , 

respectively, with the Pittsburgh research Laboratory, National 

institute for Occupational safety and Health, Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Abstract 

Recent U.S. mine disasters identified a need for improved 

training of miners in escape from mine fires and explosions. 

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Spokane Research Laboratory (SRL) have designed fire-escape training software for 

use in a mine-safety training course. The software allows 

four trainees to work together in a virtual world via a computer network. Trainees responded favorably and showed 

a marked improvement in locating the proper evacuation 

routes on subsequent trials. In collaboration with the 

Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL), a more elaborate 

fire evacuation scenario is being developed. Further study 

is needed to confirm that virtual training will translate to 

improved safety outcomes in the real world. 

Introduction 

U.S. Mine Safety and Health 

Administration (MSHA) accident 

reports often cite poor training as a 

root cause for many fatalities and serious injuries, but traditional classroom 

safety training provides little practical 

experience for mine workers. Virtual 

reality (VR) training systems have 

been used successfully in many different settings including pilot training, 

military simulators and mining equipment operation. This type of training 

has the added benefit of providing simulated experience in 

dealing with a hazardous circumstance on the job without 

exposing the trainee to the hazard. Although this type of 

training has been successfully used in other fields, it has 

not been used much or tested for effectiveness in mining. 

Therefore, this study answers the following research 

question — can a VR system be used in a mine safety training environment to teach evacuation procedures, provide 

simulated experience, and measure performance? 

The study was an informal, preliminary test of the Virtual Reality Miner Safety Training (VRMST) software, 

developed at the National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Spokane Research Laboratory (SRL). The VRMST software was designed for mine 

workers to practice evacuation routes and procedures. A 

preliminary test of this software was conducted during an 

eight-hour, MSHA-approved refresher training course. 

This training was led by an approved mine safety trainer 

and SRL research staff were the subjects of the preliminary testing of the VR training. 

Based on these initial results, a new project was funded 

to further develop and enhance the VRMST software into 

a publicly available product and determine how the software could be distributed to safety trainers.The new simulation software uses the Unreal game 

engine from Epic Games (www.unrealtechnology.com). SRL researchers 

modified some of the high-level script 

code and included custom maps, 

models and animations. 

By repurposing the computer 

game in this fashion, the end user 

does not see any elements of the 

original game on the screen. The 

software provides a first-person 

perspective on the virtual environment — meaning the computer display renders the virtual environment from the view of the 

person sitting at the keyboard as opposed to a top-down, 

or third-person perspective. Numerous researchers have 

used the power of this game engine for nongaming purposes such as teaching pedestrian safety (McComas, et 

al, 2002), creating architectural walkthroughs (Johns and 

Lowe, 2006) and military simulations (Ryan, et al, 2005; 

Wray, et al, 2004). In response to this, Epic Games decided 

to release a version of its game engine for nongaming, 

noncommercial purposes. The new NIOSH virtual reality 

training software is built on this game engine, which will 

allow the Institute to publish and distribute the resulting 

training products to the public. The first part of this paper 

describes an earlier software version that was never publicly released but led to the development of the current 

software package scheduled for release in late 2008. The 

simulation software currently under development is detailed at the end of this paper. 

Design of VR software 

The simulation software uses a computer network to 

place four trainees within the same simulated environment 

(Fig. 1). Each trainee is represented in the virtual mine by 

a computer-generated character called an avatar.Trainees 

have independent control over their avatar in the virtual 

mine using simple keyboard and mouse controls.The simulation style is first-person, meaning that each trainee can 

see the other trainees’ avatars, but they do not see their 

own avatar on their computer screen (Fig. 2). First-person 

simulation attempts to provide a virtual “first-hand” perspective of the setting. 

The virtual mine for this training simulated a common setup in underground longwall coal mining with a 

three-entry gate road development heading.A three-entry 

development consists of three parallel entries connected 

by crosscuts. Mine workers construct stoppings in these 

crosscuts as mining progresses to control ventilation air 

flow routed through the entries. Mandoors may be placed 

in some stoppings to allow travel from one entry to the 

next. In actual work settings, there are limited options 

for escape and miners, particularly new employees, can 
become easily confused about which escape route to take 

(Murray, et al, 2007). 

The simulated evacuation scenario used in this training exercise was based on an actual incident involving a 

fire at a cooperating mine.The simulation included smoke 

that significantly obscures the trainees’ VR vision in some 

areas. In addition, the virtual environment included falls 

of ground (as could be caused by the fire) that blocked 

the trainees’ primary escape route and forced them to 

find an alternate path, just as they might experience in an 

actual evacuation. Trainees were also presented with VR 

obstacles that required them to consider various escape 

routes.This type of critical decision-making takes time and 

requires the trainees to analyze their virtual experience 

and talk with each other, via telephone if the computers 

are connected from remote locations. 

Figure 1 

The VR training computer network used for the test. 

Figure 2 

A screenshot showing a trainee’s view of the simulated 

mine. 

Methods 

Thirty-two trainees worked in groups of four to test the 

VR simulation program. Detailed demographic information was not collected from the trainees, but all participants were experienced mine safety professionals. None 

had significant experience playing first-person-type video 

games. Each group of four trainees was given 10 minutes 

to practice using the keyboard and mouse to control the 

movement of their avatar in the virtual mine. During this 

practice time, they were also instructed to take note of 

specific landmarks or other items in the virtual mine that 

would be helpful in finding their way out during the evacuation training sessions. Prior to starting the evacuation 

simulation the trainees were given the evacuation plan for 

their simulated mine, which included the preferred escape 

routes and a checklist of things to do as they evacuate. 

To measure trainee performance, two escape scenarios 

were created by varying the location and number of blockages and obstacles. Escape scenario A was less complex 

compared to scenario B (Fig. 3). Scenario A consisted of a 

single fall of ground in the primary escapeway, forcing the 

trainees to double back and find the next inby mandoor 

allowing them to switch to the secondary escapeway. Scenario B required the trainees to alter their escape route 

more often, with blockages in both primary and secondary 

escapeways. This required them to eventually find their 

way to the belt entry as the only means of getting past the 

fire. The complexity of scenario B made it more likely for 

the trainees to become lost. Half of the four-person groups 

were asked to navigate through the more simple escape 

route first (scenario A), followed by the more complex one 

(scenario B). The remaining groups were first exposed to 

the more complex scenario, followed by the simpler one. 

Time to complete each scenario was recorded for each 

group and post training discussions were held to collect 

individual trainees’ reaction to the VR training medium. 

Results 

The VR evacuation training was successfully integrated into the eight-hour annual safety training refresher 

course required by 30 CFR Part 48. The four groups that 

were given the simple escape route first were found to 

complete the more complex scenario 37 percent faster 

than the groups that were first exposed to scenario B, the 

more complex scenario. No difference in completion time 

was recorded for the groups to complete scenario A (the 

simpler evacuation route), whether it was administered 

first or second. The “solution time” for scenario A was 

about one-third of that recorded for each of the groups – 

meaning that someone who is proficient with the software 

controls and had advanced knowledge of the proper path 

around the blockages could complete the training task in 

less time. These factors indicate that the improved performance was a result of the VR experience and not from 

increased proficiency with the software. 

Each of the eight groups successfully completed both 

evacuation scenarios. Trainees reported during post-training discussions that they felt the training was effective. 

Trainees also mentioned that they felt more prepared to 

follow a mine evacuation plan as a result of this VR training, although this would need to be compared to a control 

group with more traditional training to draw significant 

conclusions. 

Discussion 

The preliminary testing of the VR software indicated 

that trainees increased their ability to escape from a virtual mine fire. It is hoped that this would translate into 

an increased ability to escape from a similar situation in 

a real mine evacuation, but more elaborate testing would 

be needed to verify this assertion.There was also evidence 

that previous trainings that miners had received were applicable in the VR world. Six of the eight groups stayed 
together in the virtual environment, as instructed, and 

waited for one another if they became separated. These 

groups also tended to follow the evacuation procedure 

checklist, as instructed at the beginning of the training 

sessions. However, in one instance, a group chose to follow a leader who clearly did not know how to navigate in 

an underground mine. That group circled the same pillar 

three times before realizing they were disoriented. The 

group chose a new leader and completed the training. 

Because it is difficult to provide hands-on training for 

mine disaster situations, VR simulations can provide an 

opportunity for miners to be exposed to realistic situations without endangering their lives. Although VR simulations are relatively new to the mining world (other than 

equipment simulators), they have been used successfully 

in the military for some time.A rather interesting anecdote 

about military training simulation comes from education 

specialist, Don Johnson, who is a member of the Readiness 

and Training Unit of the Department of Defense (DOD) 

at the Pentagon (as cited in Prensky, 2001): 

“During one particular battle known as 73 Easting – 

the flanking maneuver where our tanks sped around the 

Iraqi forces that were blinded and came at them from the 

West – a tank platoon led by an officer named McMaster 

encountered Iraqi tanks that were dug in. Military doctrine 

said that when you encounter forces that are dug in you 

need a three-to-one advantage in order to be successful. 

But McMasters’ three or four tanks caught the Iraqis by 

surprise, rolling right over them and wiping out all 20 or 

30 tanks that were dug in.” (pp. 382-383). 

McMaster explained that “We’d done it before – we 

did it in simulation,” which supports the notion that their 

simulation training was effective. Prensky further cited 

Johnson, “In DOD, we probably have done more studies 

of learning technology than you will find anywhere.We’ve 

proven to ourselves that technology works. We’ve proven 

it academically, but more importantly, we’ve proven it operationally” (p. 382). Thus, the military has been able to 

successfully employ simulations to their employees, particularly in situations where hands-on-training is difficult 

to gain. 

Researchers at the Rehabilitation Sciences Virtual 

Reality Lab at the University of Ottawa, Canada, tested 

the effectiveness of virtual reality for teaching pedestrian 

safety to children. Their results were mixed, but show 

promise and offer insights into how future efforts might 

improve the effectiveness of virtual reality training (McComas, et al, 2002). Specifically, they suggest; 

1.	 Allow more time for each student with the VR 

program. 

2.	 Create a VR program as similar to the real situation as possible. 

3.	 Build social factors such as peer pressure into the 

virtual environment. 

4.	 Introduce the VR intervention as part of a program using other instructional tools. 

The new map reading and evacuation training modules 

attempt to address these suggestions, with the exception of 

item 1, as increasing the amount of time that safety trainers allot to any one topic is not always an option. Research 

staff worked closely with content experts and field-tested 

the software with test groups to ensure the realism of the 

simulations. The multi-user capability of the new evacuation module will help create the social factors suggested 

in item 3. The simulations include front-end training on 

the topics covered and also display post-training maps to 

show the trainees where they traveled in the environment 

to serve as a discussion point.These efforts offer promising 

support for future VR simulations in mining, but further 

research is needed to examine the use of computer simulation in training beyond these populations to see how well 

it translates to these other areas. 

Figure 3 

Scenarios A and B with critical decision points and 

obstacles. 

Figure 4 

Plan view of the room-and-pillar mine showing smoke in 

the belt and adjacent entries. 

Limitations 

Limitations exist in the preliminary testing of the VR 

training created for the mining industry. First, it was conducted only in small groups and the demographics of the 

trainees were different from the anticipated characteristics of a typical miner. Second, it is possible that varying 

levels of computer literacy among trainees could present 

barriers to effective training for a broader mine worker 

population. The demographics of the test subjects does, 

however, match those of the management staff at a typical 

mine. Third, it is also possible that only one person from 
each group actually gained any skill and the others simply 

followed along. Additional research is needed to address 

these potential limitations, and identify and address others. 

Future studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness 

of the VR training with different sample populations. For 

example, testing of the software could be conducted with 

individuals, small groups, and in large classroom settings. 

The small group format was very useful in generating discussion after the VR training was complete. Similar discussion groups could be used among larger groups or even 

in larger classroom settings. Still, the final VR software 

product must be rigorously tested for effectiveness using 

standard educational assessment methods. 

Current work 

Toward this goal, the researchers from SRL are now 

collaborating with training and content experts from 

NIOSH’s PRL to create the next generation miner training simulation software.The earlier effort lacked any leadin training material to provide context for the trainees 

and guidance to the trainer for conducting the training 

sessions. The new project team developed a computer 

based training (CBT) front end for a new topic – basic 

map reading aimed at teaching new miners the knowledge 

and skills to read a paper map of an underground coal 

mine. The Web-based CBT can be self-administered or 

used as an interactive presentation to assist trainers with 

larger groups. Upon completion of the CBT, the trainees 

can practice their new underground navigation skills using 

a virtual reality simulation. The project team decided this 

topic would be easier to develop into a complete package, 

and would lend itself to future modification for evacuation training. The Map Reading Basics training package 

has been field-tested and reviewed and is awaiting final 

NIOSH management approval prior to publication, as of 

this writing. 

A virtual reality evacuation training package is being 

built upon the same virtual mine environment used for the 

Map Reading Basics program. The purpose of this module 

is to aid miners in developing the knowledge and skills 

needed to evacuate during a mine fire. The simulation allows multiple users to participate, which helps draw trainees into the simulation as they interact with each other 

in the virtual environment to solve the problem of how 

to evacuate together. The room-and-pillar mine layout is 

far more complex than the earlier evacuation module and 

uses a realistic mine ventilation model to move smoke and 

mine gases through the mine (Fig. 4). Numerous enhancements to the realism of the simulation are also included; 

turning off the belt, on-screen communication between 

trainees, use of self-rescuers and lifelines, and a functional 

gas meter.Additionally, computer-controlled miner workers can interact with the trainees to enhance the realism of 

the simulation by providing background context and help 

move the storyline along (Fig. 5). 

Figure 5 

Trainees interact with computer characters to keep the 

training engaging and move the story along. 

As with the map reading module, the evacuation module uses the newer Unreal Engine2 runtime software from 

Epic Games that has been customized by the research 

team for this purpose. Also as before, the module will 

undergo field testing and refinement in collaboration with 

several industry partners to ensure that the final product 

has broad applicability within the mining industry. Once 

published, these Unreal engine-based simulations could 

be further customized by NIOSH or third parties; mine 

companies, universities or consultants to enhance their 

capabilities and create new training modules. 

Conclusions 

Preliminary testing of the virtual reality mine evacuation training indicated that this type of training medium 

has the potential to enhance traditional training techniques. However, more rigorous testing and refinement 

is required. Supplementary training materials are needed 

to assist safety trainers in administering the simulation 

training program and analyzing the feedback regarding 

the trainees’ performance and perceptions about the VR 

training medium. Additional studies will be conducted as 

the development of the VR software continues, and supplementary training materials are created to assist in the 

training and testing efforts concerning the effectiveness 

of VR in safety training for miners. The open architecture 

of the NIOSH virtual reality safety training software will 

also lend itself to further development and enhancement 

that may pave the way for additional training options in 

the future. 

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