Situational Factors that Influence Overreaching on a Ladder during a Gutter Clearing Task among Older Adults

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Appl Ergon
• Personal Author:
  Williams, David D. ; Beschorner, Kurt E. ; Sturnieks, Daina L. ; Lord, Stephen R. ; Pliner, Erika M.
• Description:
  Ladder falls from overreaching are a problem in older adults. Evidence suggests ladder use behavior to be dependent on interfacing user and environmental circumstances (i.e. situational factors). This study investigates the effects of situational factors (remaining debris, ladder position, time into task, hand dominant reach, reaching disposition) on reaching during a gutter clearing task on a ladder in 104 older adults. Reaching was quantified as the maximum lateral center of pressure (COP) displacement from the ladder's center. A reach was classified as an overreach when the COP displaced outside the ladder width, indicative of a ladder tip. Reaching disposition, remaining debris, ladder position, and the interaction of reaching disposition and remaining debris predicted 20% of the reaching variability during the ladder task. Overreaching was observed in 40% of participants accounting for 13% of all extended reaches (beyond ladder). This work can guide interventions on mitigating overreaching and improving ladder safety.
• Keywords:
  Accidental Falls Aged Decision Making Humans Ladder Falls Reaching
• Source:
  Appl Ergon. 104:103794
• Pubmed ID:
  35653835
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC10041861
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  R01 OH011799/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  104
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:57aeaf9fea75debd90d20263e3b543046fb468c495a0c08d279b63ec0e715d70
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/126301/cdc_126301_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.32 MB ]