Reality Check: Gillette College Recognized on The Hill for Virtual Technology Shaping Mining Safety Education Innovation in PRB | County 17
Gillette College instructors and administrators receive the 2019 NIOSH Safety and Technology Innovation Award in Washington, D.C., Monday, Oct. 21. H/t: National Mining Association
College Develops Stand-alone Blind Spot Awareness Training Tech Blending Virtual Reality with 360-degree Pics from Operating Mines to Experience Safety Threats
Monday, the National Mining Association (NMA), the U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), recognized Gillette College with a 2019 Mine Health and Safety Technology Innovations Award.
The award, which honored the Gillette College Industry Safety Training Center for the development of technology and training used by students in Campbell County to experience the potential safety hazards associated with ten common pieces of coal mining equipment, was presented at a dinner hosted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Washington, D.C.
“The project allows students to see and understand all of the equipment, people, and light duty vehicles that are around them the whole time they are operating one of these pieces of equipment,” Gillette College MSHA instructor Nick Ullrich said in a press release. “The actual footage from a mine and the specific piece of equipment helps them understand exactly where those blind spots are and how big they can be.”
Northern Wyoming Community College District President Dr. Walt Tribley credited the college’s innovation.
“It’s out-of-the-box thinking like this, applicable to many heavy equipment situations, that will save lives,” Tribley said. “I am proud of our entire MSHA team; this recognition is well-deserved.”
Gillette College Vice President Janell Oberlander, who was present at the dinner, echoed this sentiment.
“We worked together to create this innovative training program,” she said by email. “These professionals are dedicated to increasing safety efforts for our industry partners and have gone above and beyond to utilize technology in an effort to improve mine worker safety.”
Gillette College instructors and administrators have already incorporated the award-winning training into several mining courses and other related trainings offer through the college, and say they will continue to utilize the Industry Safety Training Center and simulated safety training innovations as a key resource for students.
Gillette College represents one of two entities recognized. Safescape, an Australia-based mining technology company, was also recognized.