Situational Factors That Influence Overreaching on a Ladder During a Gutter Clearing Task Among Older Adults

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beschorner KE ; Lord SR ; Pliner EM ; Sturnieks DL ; Williams DD
• Description:
  Ladder falls from overreaching are a problem in older adults. Evidence suggests ladder use behavior to be dependent on interfacing user and environmental circumstances (i.e. situational factors). This study investigates the effects of situational factors (remaining debris, ladder position, time into task, hand dominant reach, reaching disposition) on reaching during a gutter clearing task on a ladder in 104 older adults. Reaching was quantified as the maximum lateral center of pressure (COP) displacement from the ladder's center. A reach was classified as an overreach when the COP displaced outside the ladder width, indicative of a ladder tip. Reaching disposition, remaining debris, ladder position, and the interaction of reaching disposition and remaining debris predicted 20% of the reaching variability during the ladder task. Overreaching was observed in 40% of participants accounting for 13% of all extended reaches (beyond ladder). This work can guide interventions on mitigating overreaching and improving ladder safety. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Aging Behavior Decision Making Ergonomics Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Age Groups Author Keywords: Ladder Falls Behavior Patterns Decision Making Falls Ladders Reaching Safety Practices
• ISSN:
  0003-6870
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  104
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067202
• Citation:
  Appl Ergon 2022 Oct; 104:103794
• Email:
  erikapliner@ufl.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction ; Wholesale and Retail Trade
• Performing Organization:
  University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20200801
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20240731
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f84707c0bdc6bbb90357645fa58cd0097a501a82a450e9ef5e4e9a95247b6c676c7016c774597488d0fbb0006bc862f256fa5d7e4a698bd6b87454d718b34579
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/231335/cdc_231335_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.57 MB ]