Effects of Aerial Ladder Rung Spacing on Firefighter Climbing Biomechanics

Details

• Personal Author:
  Armstrong T ; Fu Q ; Hsiao H ; Kau T-Y ; Simeonov P ; Woolley C
• Description:
  This study investigated the effects of aerial ladder rung spacing on firefighter climbing biomechanics. Ten female and 9 male firefighters ascended and descended instrumented ladders with rungs spaced at 356mm (current design) and 305mm in a laboratory setup. The climbing tests were performed at five ladder slope and handrail conditions: 30 degrees with low (305 mm) and high (914 mm) handrails, 52.5 degrees with and without a low handrail, and 75 degrees without a handrail. Foot and hand forces and body movements were recorded and used to calculate joint moments of the upper and lower body. Reduced rung spacing resulted in reduced foot forces, reduced hand forces, and reduced ankle transverse moment. It was also associated with increased climbing speed for female climbers, and increased ankle vertical overshoot. The results indicate that reduced rung spacing on aerial ladders may lead to lower biomechanical stress; better climbing efficiency and safety; and reduced climbing speed disparity across sexes. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Emergency Responders Ergonomics Firefighters Fires Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Aerial Ladder Biomechanical Engineering Biomechanical Modeling Biomechanics Climbing Biomechanics Emergency Responders Fire Fighters Fire Fighting Equipment Ladders Rung Spacing
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Michigan ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9 ; 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:
  82
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20056743
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2020 Jan; 82:102911
• Contact Point Address:
  Peter Simeonov, Division of Safety Research, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV, USA
• Email:
  psimeonov@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a9151dad287ccdab3c7d899a8ddfdaba3bd0904bf1623653732660222d7dae1d05215db945715cfa36093279dc8c1b5f234396ec604b0d670b924f2a1af22842
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/214290/cdc_214290_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.27 MB ]