Abstract
Objective: This study investigated the effect of body size and shape and harness fit on suspension tolerance time. Background: Fall victims may develop suspension trauma, a potentially fatal reduction of return blood flow from legs to the heart and brain, after a successfully arrested fall if they are not rescued quickly or the harness does not fit them well. Method: For this study, 20 men and 17 women with construction experience were suspended from the dorsal D-ring of a full-body fall-arrest harness. Their suspension tolerance time, physical characteristics, and harness fit levels were assessed. Results: Body characteristics (i.e., weight, stature, upper- and lower-torso depths) were associated with decreased suspension tolerance time (r = -.36 ~ -.45, p
Keywords
Humans; Men; Women; Harnesses; Fall-protection; Injuries; Traumatic-injuries; Accidents; Construction-industry; Construction-workers; Workers; Physiological-factors; Tolerance-threshold;
Author Keywords: 3-D scan; body shape; harness fit; suspension; anthropometry; fall arrest; rescue