Height, Surface Firmness, and Visual Reference Effects on Balance Control

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hsiao H ; Simeonov P
• Description:
  To investigate the effects of height, surface firmness, and visual reference on standing balance in construction workers. Controlled laboratory study with balanced repeated measures. Twenty four construction workers. Test subjects performed standing tasks at ground level as well as at 3 m and 9 m high balconies on firm or deformable surfaces with close visual references included or excluded from their visual field. Standing balance was determined from center of pressure as measured by a force platform. Dependent variables were root mean square of sway in medial-lateral and anterior-posterior directions, area of sway, and velocity of sway. Heights without close visual references significantly increased all sway parameters. The effect of height in conditions without close visual references increased dramatically on deformable surfaces. Elevated work environments and deformable work surfaces negatively affect balance and may be associated with increased risk of fall incidents. Appropriate close visual references increase the ability to maintain balance. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Laboratories Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Falls Balance Control Construction-industry Construction-workers Height-factors Injuries Laboratory-testing Occupational Injury Risk-analysis Risk-factors Surface-properties Visual-aids Visual References Work-environment Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  1353-8047
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20021874
• Citation:
  Inj Prev 2001 Sep; 7(Suppl 1):i50-i53
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Peter Simeonov, NIOSH, Division of Safety Research, M/S H-1900, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505-2888, USA
• Email:
  psimeonov@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2001
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Exposure Assessment Methods
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19940701
• Source Full Name:
  Injury Prevention
• Supplement:
  1
• End Date:
  20050630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cc4e9c7a5741057007baab809fa63211c5b4729f9ddc27a2fe3a780ae463348cabbf3954728b633e680aa27fd4e16f9966f9d2523c4e3364dc49f2393541f423
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/198961/cdc_198961_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 165.98 KB ]