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See how El Paso Water uses our backhoe loader simulator for training

El Paso Water's use of a backhoe equipment operator training simulator --- article and video.

Crawler dozers: How hydrostatic transmissions improve safety

Equipment World has published an excellent article that explains why hydrostatic drives are now the dominant type of drive train for crawler dozers. One benefit of this drive train technology the article alludes to is that it makes dozers safer.

New monthly e-newsletter covers safety and training tips and trends

VISTA Training is launching a new e-newsletter, Safety Update. Our goal in creating this publication is to keep you up-to-date on the latest tips and trends in safety and training.

Rethink training for today's cost-constrained mining environment

In light of today's unstable mine commodity market and current labor trends, it's time for mines to rethink training and labor development.

How Google Glass may soon revolutionize heavy equipment inspections

Google Glass, the innovative wearable computing device, has amazing potential for industrial applications, potentially including conducting pre-use inspections of mining and construction equipment.

Beat the heat with OSHA's Heat Index app

Does your job involve working outside during the hot summer months? If so, then you ought to consider downloading OSHA's cool Heat Index app for mobile devices.

Goldcorp's Day of Remembrance: A golden opportunity to rethink safety

Goldcorp doesn't just give lip service to worker safety - it's a core value that runs deep. It takes its safety culture so seriously that it shut down every operation and office worldwide for a Day of Remembrance.

VISTA supports the Mining in Society merit badge

VISTA Training applauds and supports the recent launch of the Mining in Society merit badge by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME) and the Boy Scouts of America. This worthwhile workforce development initiative will hopefully attract young people to consider a career in mining as the industry faces a growing labor shortage.

Adopt the spirit of 'Fatality Free Friday'

The Australian Road Safety Federation has adopted a unique approach to safety that has some merit for the mining and construction industries: Fatality Free Friday.

Mining labor and skills gap will widen significantly, SME warns

SME recently updated its briefing, Workforce Trends in the U.S. Mining Industry. It paints a picture of an industry that will face some herculean workforce challenges in the next 5 to 15 years.

VISTA deploys innovative tablet-based solution for training in remote areas

In response to a client need, VISTA recently developed a mobile solution that not only delivers courses in remote locations, but also automates the process of maintaining training records in a centralized database.

Construction survey reveals big opportunities for efficiency with web-based training

According to the 2013 U.S. Construction Industry Talent Development Report from FMI, the majority of trade and craft workers in the construction industry are still trained via face-to-face, instructor-led training sessions. This represents a compelling opportunity for improved efficiency and a potent competitive advantage.

Safety issues for aging construction workers

Older construction workers face significant safety risks on the job site. Those risks appear to be growing, due to several demographic and economic factors. Here's what you can do as an employer.

8 trends in e-learning technology

Here are 8 e-learning trends that you can expect to have an impact on your business in the years ahead. But you don't have to wait until then - you can start embracing them now!

The alarmingly high cost of work site injuries in mining and construction

What are work site injuries costing your company? Way more than you may think! If you look at the bigger picture, a single debilitating work site accident could cost your firm millions in profits.

Unacceptable: 5 construction workers a week killed by falls

New data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) says that approximately 5 construction workers a week are killed by falls from heights. Nearly half of them (48.8%) are from heights of 20 ft. or less, which demonstrates that you don't have to fall far to be seriously injured or kills. This alarming data, cited in a recent article on the ISHN magazine website, underscores the importance of utilizing proper protective equipment when working at heights.

New technical paper from VISTA addresses key mine training challenge

Too often, haul truck operator trainees don't retain enough of the knowledge they learn during training. Blended learning shows a lot of promise as a tool to address this challenge.

How Google Glasses can be used for mine and construction training

Google Glasses may soon revolutionize the way training is delivered in the mining and construction industries. Here's an early look at what they may make possible.

Are the workers in your mine ignoring safety violations?

Is turning a blind eye to safety issues the same as a systematic cover-up, like the one that MSHA says took place at Massey's Upper Big Branch Mine? Not exactly. But the end result, unfortunately, is all too often the same.

Why wait until an accident to increase training?

Should your organization assess and increase its commitment to training? Absolutely. The time to increase training is before an accident occurs, not after it. Unfortunately, too many managers get complacent and assume nothing bad will happen.

Training challenges in mining and commercial aviation have much in common

The mining and aviation industries face similar training challenges. Here's what VISTA is doing to address them in the mining industry.

Shocking work zone crash data point to a need for training

A recent work zone safety survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) paints a sobering picture of the dangers of working on a road crew. Fortunately, VISTA has a training program that addresses this need.

Article points to mining industry's labor challenges, need for innovative training

A recent article in The Globe and Mail, Canada's largest national circulation newspaper, draws attention to a looming labor shortage in the country's booming mine industry.

Lessons learned from UPS's hands-on approach to driver training

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal shed light on United Parcel Service (UPS) and its recent adoption of blended learning techniques to help train new package delivery drivers. The mining industry can learn much from this innovative and successful model of training.