The Effect of Kneepads on Balance While Kneeling or Squatting

Details

• Personal Author:
  Pollard, Jonisha P. ; Porter, William L.
• Description:
  In all industries, maintaining balance is essential to ensure that workers can safely perform their job duties. In low-seam underground coal mines, workers perform their duties while kneeling, squatting, and crawling with kneepads. In this study, researchers examined the effects of kneeling and squatting on balance measures under the right knee (for kneeling) and right foot (for squatting) with and without kneepads. Results showed that kneepads did not significantly affect balance. Posture had a significant effect on balance measures, with squatting postures showing reduced balance compared to the kneeling postures. For the kneeling postures, ground force measurements were also correlated to balance measures. Posterior tibial forces were shown to have the greatest correlation to mediolateral and anteroposterior average velocities. Force and balance measures highlight a compromise between loading and balance, where improved balance is achieved with increased knee loading. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Coal Coal Mining Ergonomics Fatigue Mining Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Biomechanics Coal-miners Coal-mining Injury-prevention Mine-workers Miners Mining-industry Musculoskeletal-system Physical-stress Physiological-effects Physiological-fatigue Physiological-measurements Posture Risk-analysis Statistical-analysis Work-analysis Work-environment Work-organization Work-performance Work-practices Worker-motivation Workplace-studies

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISBN:
  9780945289395
• ISSN:
  1071-1813
• Publisher:
  Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Nevada ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OMSHR - Office of Mine Safety and Health Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  55
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20039780
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 55th Annual Meeting, September 19-23, 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada. Southwick SM, Litz BT, Charney D, Friedman MJ, eds. Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2011 Sep; 55:1601-1605
• Contact Point Address:
  Jonisha P. Pollard, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Office of Mine Safety and Health Research Pittsburgh, PA
• Editor(s):
  Southwick SM; Litz BT; Charney D; Friedman MJ
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining ; Construction
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 55th Annual Meeting, September 19-23, 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:707afb15c91eedc913aaea206c17389e7168be13ed7d79bdebbed9e5c4ce629f96460742e2a4744367fb2c56ab47e2d3494a6e6f7cecb2be67e37e7116a8fa21
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227374/cdc_227374_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 785.38 KB ]