Impact of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Weights on Firefighter’s Kinematics During Simulated Firefighter Tasks

Details

• Personal Author:
  Akbas K ; Jones, Richard ; Powell J ; Ratnakumar N ; Xu S ; Zhou X ; Zhuang Z
• Description:
  Firefighters face a multitude of hazards in their line of duty, with overexertion being one of the foremost causes of injuries or fatalities. This high risk is often exacerbated by the burden of carrying a heavy self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). This study aims to explore the impact of SCBA weight on firefighters' musculoskeletal joint movements. Six firefighters participated in this study, performing four simulated firefighting tasks under three different SCBA weight conditions. A hybrid inverse kinematics approach was employed to analyze the kinematic data from two participants. The results revealed a notable decrease in lumbar range of motion (ROM) as the weight increased, particularly noticeable during hose advancement and stair climbing tasks. Conversely, an increase in hip ROM during stair climbing was observed, suggesting a compensatory response to reduced spinal flexibility. These findings underscore the critical need to understand the implications of turnout gear and SCBA weight to enhance firefighter performance and reduce the risk of injury. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Ergonomics Firefighters Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Biomechanics Biomechanics Fire Fighters Human Factors Engineering Inverse Kinematics SCBA Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Self Contained Breathing Apparatus
• ISSN:
  2376-4244
• Publisher:
  Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE) International
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  New Jersey ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  NPPTL - National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  142-149
• Volume:
  131
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070214
• Citation:
  15th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE) and the Affiliated Conferences, July 24-27, 2024, Nice, France. Orlando, FL: Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE) International, 2024 Jul; 131:142-149
• Email:
  alexzhou@njit.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  15th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE) and the Affiliated Conferences, July 24-27, 2024, Nice, France
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e8c1fc884e9b62a687cdc68cfb19508bbca5b1a8894e7e1ec1381b07d1e4c8d815ac6e15434cd8492959b131c5bd7435c4f4ae82abb755ead73027faa04d9bbd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208468/cdc_208468_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 900.59 KB ]