Assessment of radiation awareness training methods: CBT with VR versus CBT-only

Two methods for training radiation awareness in workers were compared. The radiation awareness of a group of subjects completing an experimental training program that combined computer-based training with a practical exercise in a full-scale virtual radiation environment was compared with the radiation awareness of a group of subjects that completed only computer-based training. After training was completed, radiation awareness was assessed during the performance of four tasks in a virtual reality simulation of a nuclear power plant. Subjects who received the supplemental training received significantly less radiation exposure than the group that received only computer-based training. Observation of the subjects showed enhanced radiation sensitivity in the group trained in VR, but the measured performance difference was not statistically significant. Further study is required to determine the magnitude of the performance improvement.