Biomechanical Modeling and 3D Simulation of Firefighting Tasks

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Appl Hum Factors Ergon Conf
• Personal Author:
  Xu, Susan ; Hu, Michael ; Powell, Jeffrey ; Zhuang, Ziqing
• Description:
  Firefighting is an injury prone occupation. The self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) included as part of a firefighter ensemble contributes to these injuries by affecting a firefighter's balance. The objective of this study was to establish a method to determine the maximum allowable weight that would prevent firefighter injury by using a 3-Dimensional Static Strength Prediction Program (3DSSPP). Four representative firefighting tasks (stair climb, hose carry, weighted carry, and rope pull) were used to perform the simulation. A representation of a 50| percentile male firefighter was used in 100 simulated trials. Based on a biomechanical model, 3DSSPP calculated lower back (L4/L5) compression forces and the results were compared to the NIOSH guidelines. The maximum safe weight of an SCBA ranged from 35 to 75 lbs. for the tasks examined. Policymakers may use this study's methods and findings to inform evaluation methods and performance requirements that will drive SCBA design improvements, ultimately reducing the risk of injury among firefighters.
• Keywords:
  3DSSPP Biomechanical Modeling Firefighter Firefighter Activities Simulation
• Source:
  Appl Hum Factors Ergon Conf. 6:174-179
• Pubmed ID:
  39421279
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11485195
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  6
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:067cee432efdbfa013853c6747cfb0750a197d8e894275cb20c0e16c4a02b1a36c56c7433207b4f8b6795320856d8744d2576810053f4a016eaaf31ce12bbc70
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/166679/cdc_166679_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 618.42 KB ]