A virtual reality based gas assessment application for training gas engineers

Once a gas leak is reported, the rescue operation usually requires safe and precise identification of a leak source and stopping it. However, it is risky to train new gas engineers in a real gas leak situation. This paper aims to address this challenge by proposing a virtual reality (VR) based Gas Assessments and Training (GAT) Application (App) that helps gas engineers gain practical experience on correct gas safety procedures. The GAT App will also train gas engineers to make timely decisions and practice relevant safety measures when dealing with an actual gas leak. Sixteen gas engineers evaluated the GAT App. All the participants carried out several tasks with the GAT App and completed System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaires afterwards. The data revealed an average SUS score of 84.06, which indicates that the gas engineers enjoyed using the GAT App and will recommend it to their colleagues. However, there is a need for more user testing for result generalisation.