Evaluation of Fall Arrest Harness Sizing Schemes

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hsiao H ; Kau TY ; Whitestone J
• Description:
  Objective: This paper evaluated harness sizing schemes and anthropometric criteria for harness design applications. Background: Updated harness sizing systems are needed to accommodate diverse populations in the current workforce. Method: Three-dimensional torso scan data and human-harness interfaces from 108 women and 108 men were digitally captured. Abounding box approach was employed to quantify the effect of torso shape and size on fall harness fit. Results: Alogistic regression model with eight equations was developed and tested to classify more than 96% of participants to the best-fitting size. Conclusion: Study outcomes suggested an alternative system of two sizes for women and three sizes for men over the current four-size unisex system. In addition, thigh strap angle and back D ring location could be utilized along with current harness static fit test criteria to further enhance postfall harness fit predictions. Application: This research could help reduce the risk of worker injury resulting from poor fit, improper size selection, or failure to don the harness properly. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Anthropometry Construction-workers Equipment-design Equipment-reliability Harnesses Injury-prevention Protective-equipment Protective-measures Weight-factors
• ISSN:
  0018-7208
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  447-464
• Volume:
  49
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20032233
• Citation:
  Hum Factors 2007 Jun; 49(3):447-464
• Contact Point Address:
  Hongwei Hsiao, Protective Technology Branch, Division of Safety Research, NIOSH, 1095 Willowdale Rd., Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  hhsiao@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Human Factors
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b002018961b590b97b04df347dd09f159286cf98ab0093ef17e67017c52fe12efe85ac3c95245a3d3868a26839c3eefb7aae1b800ba4bf32cd6d5c9de89f6d50
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/186266/cdc_186266_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 960.08 KB ]