Assessment of Challenges in Patrol Vehicles and with Equipment Among Law Enforcement Officers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hsiao H
• Description:
  Understanding the challenges Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) have encountered with their vehicle and equipment and the correlation between equipment configuration and LEO body dimensions is critical for improving vehicle/equipment specifications to better accommodate today's LEOs. 974 LEOs participated in a study on their vehicle, equipment, and body measurements at 12 sites across the U.S. 88% participants reported discomfort/pain at the end of a shift. The most affected body areas were the lower back and hips. Handguns, radios, and handcuffs on duty belt and seat adjustment were associated with the discomfort/pain. 41% LEOs identified inadequate seat adjustment. Stature, buttock-popliteal length, eye height (sitting), knee height (sitting), shoulder-grip length, popliteal height, sitting height, hip breadth, and body weight were key parameters associated with seat adjustment needs. A third of officers experienced neck pain associated with the use of in-vehicle mobile data terminals and more fore/aft adjustment was needed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Ergonomics Law Enforcement Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Police Duty Belts Equipment Design Law Enforcement Workers Low Back Pain Motor Vehicle Parts Motor Vehicles Police Officers Safety Engineering Seat Designs Vehicle Equipment

  More +
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas ; 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:
  108
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066523
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2023 Apr; 108:103946
• Contact Point Address:
  Hongwei Hsiao, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi, TX, 78412, USA
• Email:
  hongwei.hsiao@tamucc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Public Safety
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5f6e1230db655241a1866c2b24187eb11a6e5aa67d79f94c2e8036e0836b2cf3b1e03f698ed556438220f8a18f4d9e957d41e1bbb6f0d5d49ba1d641b89c0266
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231106/cdc_231106_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.70 MB ]