Current Risk Situation Training in Industry, and Games as a Strategy for Playful, Engaging and Motivating Training

Abstract

Workplace safety is a constant concern in the industry, especially in activities with a high risk of accidents, such as the operation of heavy machinery, material handling, and work with electricity. Risk situation training is a fundamental tool for accident prevention and promoting a safety culture in the workplace. However, these training practices are often seen as boring, tiresome, and ineffective, leading to low employee motivation and engagement. This article presents a survey conducted with training managers to understand training taught via traditional methods, and a rapid review performed to examine the literature on the benefits of using games with a purpose to support risk situation training and make them more playful, engaging and motivating. The survey results point out problems such as low engagement levels in training that applied traditional methods. The rapid review studies support the benefits of games with a purpose in risk situation training, where researchers indicate that strategies such as immediate feedback, participatory approaches, and scenario-based training can increase the effectiveness of risk situation training, improve employee motivation and engagement, and promote a more effective safety culture in the workplace. As a contribution, this article presents insights that can support the trainers in the adoption of learning strategies that may help to achieve training sessions more playful, engaging and motivating. In addition, this work serves to provide relevant information in the discussion on using games with a purpose for risk situation training in the industry.