Effects of Extension Ladder Fly Configuration on Climbing Safety

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beschorner KE ; Griffin SC ; Redfern MS ; Williams VM
• Description:
  Fall injuries often occur on extension ladders. The extendable fly section of an extension ladder is typically closer to the user than the base section, though this design is minimally justified. This study investigates the effects of reversing the fly on foot placement, frictional requirements, adverse stepping events (repositioning the foot or kicking the rung), and user preferences. Participant foot placement was farther posterior (rung contacted nearer to toes) in the traditional ladder compared to the reversed fly condition during descent, with farther anterior foot placements during ascent. The reversed configuration had similar friction requirements during early/mid stance and significantly lower frictional requirements during late stance. Increased friction requirements during late stance were associated with farther anterior foot placement and further plantar flexed foot orientation. The reversed fly had 5 adverse stepping events versus 22 that occurred in the traditional configuration. Users typically preferred the reversed fly. These results suggest that a reversed extension ladder configuration offers potential benefits in reducing fall-related injuries that should motivate future research and development work. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Biomechanical Phenomena Ergonomics Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Ladder Climbing Biomechanics Extension Ladders Falls Foot Placement Injuries Required Coefficient Of Friction Slips
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Atlanta Region [OSHA] ; Birmingham Region [OSHA] ; Florida ; Pennsylvania ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  121
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070111
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2024 Nov; 121:104371
• Contact Point Address:
  Kurt E. Beschorner, Human Movement and Balance Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• Email:
  beschorn@pitt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20200801
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20240731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4fe21f8dcd62446b528ad80045ff2080efabbdbf20eadf5b50690f84189aadc838288c478b9367fbfc308923a13114e54f3ada4784136c4c455d4ea9f7a8121e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208400/cdc_208400_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.91 MB ]