Designing Ergonomic Interventions for EMS Workers – Part I: Transporting Patients down the Stairs

Details

• Personal Author:
  Conrad KM ; Gacki-Smith J ; Kohok AK ; Lavender SA ; Reichelt PA
• Description:
  The objective of the current work was to test ergonomic interventions aimed at reducing the magnitude of trunk muscle exertions in firefighters/paramedics (FFPs) providing emergency medical services (EMS) when transporting patients down the stairs. The interventions, developed using focus groups, were a footstrap to prevent the patient from sliding down on the backboard, a change in the handle configuration on the stairchair, and 2 devices, the "backboard wheeler" and a tank tread-like device (descent control system, DCS) for a stretcher, that change the backboard and stretcher carrying tasks into rolling and sliding tasks. Eleven two-person teams transported a 75 kg dummy with each intervention and its corresponding control condition down a flight of steps. Surface electromyographic (EMG) data were collected from 8 trunk muscles from each participant. Results showed that the backboard footstrap reduced the erector spinae (ERS) activity for the FFP in the "leader" role by 15 percent, on average. The change in handle configuration on the stairchair had no effect on the variables measured. The backboard wheeler reduced the ERS activity bilaterally in the FFP in the leader role and unilaterally for the FFP in the "follower" role, by 28 and 24 percent, respectively. The DCS reduced the 90th percentile ERS activity for both FFPs from 26 to 16 percent MVC, but increased the latissimus dorsi activity in the follower from 11 to 15 percent MVC. The DCS was the only intervention tested that resulted in a reduced rating of perceived exertion relative to the corresponding control condition. In summary, the hypotheses that the proposed interventions could reduce trunk muscle loading were supported for 3 of the 4 transport interventions tested. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mining Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Vehicle Emissions
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: LBD Body-mechanics Emergency-responders EMS Fire-fighters Intervention Medical-rescue-services Muscle-function Muscle-physiology Muscle-stress Muscle-tension Musculoskeletal-system Posture Rescue-measures Rescue-workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  71-81
• Volume:
  38
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20031533
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2007 Jan; 38(1):71-81
• Contact Point Address:
  Departments of Industrial Welding and Systems Engineering and Orthopaedics, The Ohio State University, 1971 Neil Avenue, Rm. 210, Columbus, OH 43210
• Email:
  lavender.1@osu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Low Back Disorders
• Performing Organization:
  University of Illinois at Chicago
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20020930
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20060729
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c3e3de08dcd8358a57e7442fad4e0f35152310eedc85db7202d0905e8f48d873f2ba7217a1306e07d0df740b1c832f28ce56f1525ccd8e38431f7b02cf847f43
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/185791/cdc_185791_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 372.04 KB ]