Hanford Plant Enhances Training With Virtual Walkthroughs

Instructional Developer Randy Miller at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant sets up a special 360-degree camera inside a plant warehouse.

RICHLAND, Wash. — The Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant is taking computer-based training to the next level by creating virtual walkthroughs of plant facilities.

The walkthroughs will allow staff to explore and familiarize themselves with facilities and equipment from their computer screens before beginning fieldwork.

“These walkthroughs will bridge the gap between basic training and hands-on experience for both new and current team members,” said Mat Irwin, Hanford’s assistant manager for the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Project. “The enhanced realism adds valuable context to the training concepts, which will help build better understanding of plant facilities, equipment and procedures.”

The training staff creates the walkthroughs using a high-definition, 360-degree camera to photograph spaces. They upload these detailed photos into special software that merges them into seamless views, allowing users to look around the spaces as if they were physically present in them. They then arrange these views into a sequence that guides users through facilities step by step. Finally, they add narration tailored to each training and facility, providing important information and instruction throughout the virtual tour.

“These will be game changers in readying our team for future operations,” said Chris Musick, general manager for Waste Treatment Completion Company, the main subcontractor for Bechtel National Inc., the contractor designing, building and commissioning the plant. “This level of preparation will build our team’s confidence in its abilities and ensure it’s fully equipped to perform safe, high-quality work from Day 1.”