Virtual reality training for occupational risk prevention: application case in geotechnical drilling works

The construction industry is considered one of the most dangerous industries globally. The construction site is a complex environment where diverse teams of people interact with large machinery. In addition, the lack of safety culture on the job site and deficiencies in safety training increase these problems. Within the construction works, geotechnical drilling worksites involve high-powered machinery, and workers are exposed to different risks when using them. Despite these risks, safety training courses on these topics are not specialized. Most of the training courses are generic in occupational hazards, failing to address in detail the work dynamics and risks associated with geotechnical work, where heavy machinery is a fundamental factor. There is a lack of adequate learning content specific to drilling works, meaning the heavy machinery, how to use it and how to prevent accidents due to these drilling tasks are poorly understood. This research investigates the risks associated with geotechnical drilling work and explores the potential of virtual reality (VR) to simulate immersive work environments, focusing on interaction with drilling machinery. A geotechnical drilling machine modelled 3D and integrated into a realistic VR environment. The machinery motions and the different tasks of the work team were modelled. The simulation allows a worker to interact in a working environment, identify risks and prevent accidents, and, moreover, be trained in best practices for machinery usage, according to previous real-world experiences from senior workers.This research has been supported by the CONICYT through its economic support of Felipe Muñoz, beneficiary of a predoctoral grant (CONICYT-PCHA/International Doctorate/2019-72200306), ‘DI emergente PUCV 2022’project ofthe Vicerrectoría de Investigación y estudios avanzados-Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (039.350/2022) and by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (MICIU) through the BIMI- oTICa project (RTC-2017-6454-7). The authors also acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the ‘Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (CEX2018-000797-S)’. The authors declare their compliance with all provisions of the Authors’ Duties according to the WIT Press Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Prevention of occupational risks in geotechnical drilling works through virtual reality training

The architecture, engineering, construction and operations industry has high accident rates as a result of characteristics of the construction site and work activities, the heavy machinery used and a lack of safety culture. In particular, geotechnical drilling worksites involve the use of high-powered machinery and workers are exposed to different risks when using them. However, risk prevention training courses are not well-specialised for this type of work. There is a lack of adequate learning content specific to drilling works, meaning the heavy machinery, how to use it and how to prevent accidents due to these drilling tasks are poorly understood. Therefore, this research explores the potential of virtual reality technology as a tool for analysing the risks associated with geotechnical drilling works and as complementary training content to traditional courses. A specific use case, a geotechnical drilling machine is modelled in 3D and integrated into a realistic virtual reality environment where the movements of the machine are recreated, in addition to interactions so that workers can simulate the geotechnical drilling process, identify risks and prevent accidents, and, moreover, be trained in best practices for machinery usage, according to previous real-world experiences from senior workers. © 2021 WIT PressThis work has been supported by the CONICYT through its economic support of Felipe Muñoz, beneficiary of a pre-doctoral grant (CONICYT – PCHA/International Doctorate/2019-72200306) and by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (MICIU) through the BIMIoTICa project (RTC-2017-6454-7). The authors also acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the “Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (CEX2018-000797-S)”.Postprint (published version

EMANT: integration of GiD and Kratos, open and flexible computational tools

The advantages and drawbacks of GiD, Kratos and EMANT has been presented. The main feature of these computer tools is that they can be used to craft customized numerical simulation programs: GiD for geometrical modeling, data input and visualization of results. Kratos as starting point for a C++ finite element code, and finally, EMANT, can be seen as an example of how to blend Kratos and GiD to analyze electromagnetic problems.Postprint (published version

Religious Tourism in the Hill of Tepexpan: A new research approach-from dedifferentiation

This theoretical and methodological paper presents research undertaken to comprehend the social dynamic of religious tourism in a traditional sanctuary located in the Hill of Tepexpan, Mexico. Visitor experience, as tourist or pilgrim, has been little studied in Mexican religious tourism literature, which has focused mainly on quantitative and economics aspects. For this reason, a more holistic and comprehensive way to understand the phenomenon is desirable, especially in destinations that receive a variety of visitors with different practices and motivations. The Tepexpan Hill Sanctuary has been a sacred place since Colonial times for two ethnic groups: Mazahuas and Otomíes. Their rituals and celebrations are good examples of syncretism between Pre-Hispanic and Catholic beliefs. However, in recent years there has been a rise of visitors that do not belong to the traditional pilgrimages, which may lead to the existence of secular activities and motivations in the hill. Hence, there is a need to understand the social practices of visitors, sacred or secular, in different spaces during their stay in the sanctuary. Using Collins-Kreiner’s dedifferentiation concept (2010) enriched with contributions from Smith (1992), this research attempts to understand the Tepexpan Hill Sanctuary as a ‘third space’ where tourism and pilgrimage practices coexist (Collins-Kreiner and Gatrell, 2006). Ethnography seems to be the most suitable method of qualitative research as religious tourism implies a quest for meaning in the visit. Studying the similarities and intersections between tourism and pilgrimage is useful for visitor management in religious sites. To achieve a sustainable management of the sanctuary in the future, the proposed research can help to maximise benefits while minimising social and cultural conflicts between actors with different interests in the destination

Factors influencing Safety on Construction Projects (fSCPs): types and categories

Due to the fact of activity, environment and work dynamics, the construction industry is characterised by high accident rates. Different initiatives have emerged to reduce these figures, which focus on using new methodologies and technologies for safety management. Therefore, it is essential to know the key factors and their influence on safety in construction projects (fSCPs) to focus efforts on these elements. Through a systematic literature review, based on PRISMA methodology, this article identifies, describes and categorises 100 factors that affect construction safety. It thus contributes by providing a comprehensive general framework, unifying previous studies focused on specific geographic areas or case studies with factors not considered or insufficiently disaggregated, along with an absence of classifications focused on understanding where and how factors affect the different dimensions of construction projects. The 100 factors identified are described and categorised according to the dimensions and aspects of the project in which these have an impact, along with identifying whether they are shaping or immediate factors or originating influences for the generation of accidents. These factors, their description and classification are a key contribution to improving the systematic creation of safety and generating training and awareness materials to fully develop a safety culture in organisations.This research was funded by Proyecto VRIEA-PUCV (grant number 039.429/2021). This work was supported by the CONICYT to F.M., who was the beneficiary of a pre-doctoral grant (CONICYT—PCHA/International Doctorate/2019-72200306) and by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (MICIU) through the BIMIoTICa project (RTC-2017-6454-7). The authors also acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the “Severo Ochoa Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (CEX2018-000797-S)”. Institution: Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Estudios avanzados - Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (VRIEA-PUCV) Code Project: 039.429/2021.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

PILGRIMAGE, TOURISM AND DEDIFFERENTIATION. A TRAVEL EXPERIENCE TO THE HILL OF TEPEXPAN, MEXICO

The article explains dedifferentiation between pilgrimage and tourism from interpretation that many individuals give to their travel experience to the Hill of Tepexpan, a sanctuary located in the State of Mexico. The study is qualitative, based on ethnographic method through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with travelers. Dedifferentiation is evident in four different interpretations of travel to the place referred: religious pilgrimage, social pilgrimage, traditional journey and recreational journey.El artículo explica la desdiferenciación entre la peregrinación y el turismo a partir de la interpretación que diversos individuos dan a su experiencia de viaje al Cerrito de Tepexpan, santuario ubicado en el Estado de México. El estudio es de corte cualitativo basado en el método etnográfico a través de observación participante y entrevistas semiestructuradas aplicadas a los viajeros. La desdiferenciación se manifiesta en cuatro interpretaciones diferentes del viaje hacia el lugar referido: la peregrinación religiosa, la peregrinación social, el viaje por tradición y el viaje por recreación

Complicaciones del tratamiento quirúrgico de los procesos patológicos del anillo linfático de Waldeyer

Se ha elaborado un estudio acerca de las complicaciones mas frecuentes de la cirugía del anillo linfático de Waldeyer, que incluye una de las cirugías mas ampliamente realizadas en el área de la otorrinolaringología. Realizando un estudio descriptivo, transversal, observaciones y retrospectivo, analizando las historias clínicas de 60 pacientes intervenidos en el HCU Lozano Blesa con el fin de establecer si existen o no diferencias significativas.<br /

Proposal for the deployment of an augmented reality tool for construction safety inspection

The construction site is a hazardous place. The dynamic, complex interaction between workers, machinery, and the environment leads to dangerous risks. In response to such risks, the goal is to fulfill the zero accidents philosophy, which requires the development of safety skills among workers and the provision of tools for risk prevention. In pursuit of that vision, this work studies collective protective equipment (CPE). Traditional methodologies propose visual inspections using checklists, the effectiveness of which depends on the quality of the inspection by the safety advisor (SA). This paper analyses the traditional process of safety inspections in building projects: the traditional methods, main pain points, and bottlenecks are identified, along with the key performance indicators (KPIs) needed to complete these processes correctly. Because of this, a methodology that digitises the CPE inspection process is proposed. Augmented reality (AR) is used as a 3D viewer with an intuitive interface for the SA, and, accordingly, functional requirements are detailed and different information layers and user interfaces for AR applications are proposed. In addition, the workflow and KPIs are shown. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposal, a proof of concept is developed and evaluated. The relevance of this work lies in providing background for the use of AR in safety inspection processes on construction sites and in offering methodological recommendations for the development and evaluation of these applications.This work has been supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (MICIU) through the BIMIoTICa project (RTC-2017-6454-7) and by the CONICYT for its economic support to Felipe Muñoz, beneficiary of a pre-doctoral grant (CONICYT—PCHA/International Doctorate/2019-72200306). The authors also acknowledge the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence (2019–2023) under the grant CEX2018-000797-S funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033”.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

MODELAMIENTO Y EVALUCION DE UNA CONTRACCIÓN DE UN TÚNEL DE VIENTO SÚBSONICO

Este trabajo presenta el modelamiento y evaluación de una contracción para un túnel de viento subsónico. Las simulaciones se realizaron a tres diferentes formas de contracción comúnmente utilizadas en túneles de viento, lo cual permitió a través de software tipo CAE analizar la uniformidad del fluido, turbulencia y el coeficiente de presión de a lo largo de la contracción. Estas simulaciones demuestran que la contracción propuestas por (Whitehead, Wu, & Waters, 1951) presenta un mejor desempeño en cuanto a las variables estudiadas. Con el objetivo de mejorar la uniformidad del fluido y disminuir su turbulencia en la salida de la contracción, fue utilizado un trip en la región de entrada de la contracción; lo cual mejoró en un 92,4% el coeficiente de presión y la intensidad de turbulencia

Conflictos en el trabajo en grupo: dos casos representativos

Se recogen dos casos representativos de conflictos entre los miembros de un grupo cuando se utilizan técnicas de aprendizaje basado en proyectos. Este tipo de conflictos, si no deseables, son una oportunidad para aprender habilidades valiosas. Se proponen pautas que pueden ayudar al profesorado a acompañar con eficacia a sus alumnos frente a los conflictos.Peer Reviewe