How extreme environments can impact the training of industrial operators

Abstract

Extreme environments, either natural or artificial, can greatly affect the effectiveness and safety of operators. Scope of the paper is to provide a rather detailed list of extreme working environments and the effects produced on the workers in terms of disturbances, efforts, and misrepresentation of real operating conditions. These elements can influence the operators’ awareness and therefore call for the definition of dedicated training methods. The concluding part of the article discusses the recommended features that a training simulator for extreme environments should implement to improve the situational awareness and safety of operators.