Physical and Cognitive Capabilities of Children During Operation and Evacuation of a School Bus Emergency Roof Hatch

Details

• Personal Author:
  Abulhassan Y ; Callender A ; Davis J ; Gallagher S ; Schall M ; Sesek R
• Description:
  While many school bus routes exclusively transport kindergarten, first, and second grade (K-2) children, school bus emergency exits are designed based on the physical capabilities of an average adult male. This makes the usability of emergency exits less than optimal for K-2 children. The objective of this study was to determine if children in (K-2) are capable of opening and evacuating from a school bus roof hatch in an emergency rollover scenario. Maximum push force exertions of 91 K-2 students were measured during operation of a typical school bus emergency roof hatch (designed to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard [FMVSS] No. 217 specifications). Ability to read and comprehend emergency-related words and roof hatch operating instructions was also evaluated for 58 students. Forty-two percent (42%) of kindergarten students were unable to exert the maximum permissible design force (89 N) necessary to operate the roof hatch. Only 20% of the participants in kindergarten were able to open the roof hatch. In a controlled environment, the majority of students (96%) were willing and able to self-extricate through the opening. However, only 33% of students had the cognitive skills necessary to understand how to open the roof hatch. Eighty-nine percent (89%) of participants who completed both the physical and cognitive aspects of the study were unable to successfully operate the school bus roof hatch. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Automobiles Ergonomics Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Transportation
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Accidents Bus Drivers Children Cognition Cognitive Function Emergency Egress Human Error Motor Vehicles Physical Ergonomics Roll-over Surface Transportation Tools

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• ISSN:
  0925-7535
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; Illinois ; Kentucky ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  265-272
• Volume:
  110
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068775
• Citation:
  Saf Sci 2018 Dec; 110IPt A):265-272
• Contact Point Address:
  Yousif Abulhassan, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, 157 Industry & Technology Center, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071, United States
• Email:
  yabulhassan@murraystate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Part Number:
  A
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Safety Science
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5603fe58cf9659e6688d1df612e5149aa8c675415b5be45cef968acc42164c7871a1e411f3a99280f5a9d9cc783dee2a01c7b1ef806a481f3dd07cde4f6486f7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207357/cdc_207357_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 758.39 KB ]