Comparison of Three Internationally Certified Firefighter Protective Ensembles: Physiological Responses, Mobility, and Comfort

Details

• Personal Author:
  Coca, Aitor ; Gutiérrez-Santamaría B ; Kim J-H ; Lee J-Y ; Quinn TD ; Sáez I ; Santisteban A
• Description:
  Background: Fire protective ensembles (FPEs) are essential to safely perform firefighting job tasks; however, they are often burdensome to the workers. The aim of this study was to compare three internationally certified fire protective ensembles from the European Union (EU), South Korea (SK), and United States (US) on physiological responses, mobility, and comfort. Methods: Ten male professional firefighters performed a battery of exercises in the laboratory following the ASTM F3031-17 standard to evaluate mobility, occupation-specific performance, and physiological responses (body weight, heart rate (HR), core temperature (Tc), breathing rate (BR), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE)) to 20 min of treadmill walking (3.2 mph, 5% incline). All participants carried out the evaluation wearing each FPE in a random order. Mixed effects models examined time (pre-vs. post-) by ensemble (EU, SK, US) interactions for all physiological variables and compared comfort, performance, and subjective variables across ensembles. Results: No interaction effects were observed for body weight, HR, Tc, BR, or RPE (p = 0.890, p = 0.994, p = 0.897, p = 0.435, and p = 0.221; respectively). SK had greater trunk flexion than EU (78.4 degrees vs. 74.6 degrees, p = 0.026) and US had lower standing reach than EU (105.5 cm vs. 115.4 cm, p = 0.004). Agility circuit time was lower in US (9.3 s) compared to EU (9.8 s) or SK (9.9 s) (p = 0.051 and p = 0.019, respectively). Conclusions: The findings suggest that physiological burden remained largely unchanged across the international FPEs. However, mobility, performance, and comfort may be significantly influenced across types. International stakeholders and end users should consider design implications when choosing fire protective ensembles. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Firefighters Fires Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Firefighter Equipment Design Fire Fighters Fire Fighting Equipment Human Factors Engineering International Standards Materials Testing Perceived Exertion Personal Protective Equipment Physiology PPE Protective Clothing

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• ISSN:
  0169-8141
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  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
• Volume:
  86
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063992
• Citation:
  Int J Ind Ergon 2021 Nov; 86:103232
• Contact Point Address:
  Aitor Coca, Department of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education and Sport, University of Deusto, Spain
• Email:
  aitor.coca@deusto.es
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8475a76fd4f0f1ecb5da4cef3dfeea0ba22c937bd941f47ff03ba7ff0cd35265fb15d0b45e5850cf410518d96662272f38e90ac297395db0d38a49867f00b684
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222521/cdc_222521_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.81 MB ]