Factors Affecting Fall Severity from a Ladder: Impact of Climbing Direction, Gloves, Gender and Adaptation

Details

• Journal Article:
  Appl Ergon
• Personal Author:
  Pliner, Erika M. ; Seo, Na Jin ; Beschorner, Kurt E.
• Description:
  Ladder falls cause many fatal injuries. The factors that affect whether a ladder perturbation leads to a fall are not well understood. This study quantified the effects of several factors on a person's ability to recover from a ladder perturbation. Thirty-five participants each experienced six unexpected ladder missteps, for three glove conditions (bare hands, high friction, low friction) and two climbing directions (ascent, descent). Fall severity was increased during ladder descent (p < 0.001). Gloves did not affect fall severity. Females compared to males had greater fall severity during ascent (p < 0.001) and descent (p = 0.018). During ascent, females had greater fall severity during the second perturbation but similar fall severity to males during the other perturbations. Additional protection may be needed when descending a ladder. Also, females may benefit from targeted interventions like training. This study does not suggest that gloves are effective for preventing ladder falls.
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Friction Movement Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Risk Factors Safety Sex Factors
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Ladder Falls; Climbing Direction; Gender Ladders; Falls; Fatalities; Climbing; Biomechanics; Gender Factors; Gloves;
• Source:
  Appl Ergon. 60:163-170
• Pubmed ID:
  28166875
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC8829880
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  R21 OH010038/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania ; South Carolina ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  19 pdf pages
• Volume:
  60
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065230
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d823b5f1ce50c1fadfc29a1f9efaaa67ff96bb7e9014d8f5bfcf5abc6613ca4cacd40572b5c76d11c1291994b7675d448cc926b9b726092fe1ea66e4c4d8bbc5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/114372/cdc_114372_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 285.98 KB ]