Health and safety solutions provider KBC Health and Safety has introduced South Africa's first safety escape room, an innovative approach to health, safety and environment (HSE) training.

Recently implemented at Phalaborwa Mining Company (PMC), safety escape room training offers an interactive and practical way to develop hazard awareness and enhance essential safety skills in an on-the-job scenario, delivering fun, immersive, game-like safety training, KBC explains. 

Developed initially to meet the specific needs of PMC, KBC says this innovative solution has been designed to elevate safety skills through interactive, real-world scenarios.

Following its success at PMC, KBC has since integrated the safety escape room as a customisable offering for various industrial environments, from opencast and underground mining to occupational safety and health (OSH) settings across different industries.

“We required a fresh approach to training and partnered with KBC to develop a flagship hazard identification solution tailored to their safety standards. This innovative solution was designed to integrate a practical, real-life element into training, allowing our staff to engage in a fun, hands-on experience while learning about critical risks specific to the mine,” says PMC manager in training development and contractor management Mabore Macheru.

KBC’s safety escape room takes participants on an interactive journey through simulated, high-stakes safety challenges where, much like a game, they must work together to identify and mitigate potential hazards within a set time.

By completing tasks under time constraints, teams can identify and manage potential hazards while practicing decision-making, teamwork, leadership and problem-solving skills. 

KBC says this experience goes beyond traditional classroom learning by providing participants with a direct, practical understanding of safety concepts that apply to their daily work.

This game-like training format also allows the mine to identify leadership qualities in staff, as well as strengths and possible weak points that need to be addressed. 

“The safety escape room transforms safety training from theory into practice,” says KBC corporate accounts partner Ruan Janse van Rensburg.

“It places participants in real-life scenarios where they actively engage with critical safety concepts, applying them on the spot. This immersive experience not only reinforces essential skills but also gives us a clear, real-time view of each team’s strengths and areas for improvement, allowing for more targeted and effective training,” he says.

The safety escape room has now become a key component of KBC’s training suite and can be tailored to suit a range of OSH environments beyond mining.

This adaptable offering allows clients to use the safety escape room as a standalone training experience or combine it with KBC’s Hazard Park training for a more comprehensive, hands-on safety programme across various industrial settings.

The safety escape room was officially launched at PMC on November 21 with an open day, where contractors, their support teams and senior management experienced the interactive safety challenges firsthand. 

The open day’s success led to an additional 25 bookings for PMC employees, and, following this positive reception, KBC says it plans to expand the safety escape room this year, offering more organisations an engaging, memorable approach to essential safety training.