Abstract:Range of motion (ROM) can be restricted by wearing stiff and bulky clothing. This is particularly true of firefighter suits that are constructed using fabric layers to provide thermal protection from fire. This study developed an evaluation technique to quantify the loss of mobility associated with wearing firefighters' protective suits that were deliberately selected to represent similar ergonomic design features. The ROM of 10 firefighters was measured using electro-goniometers attached to their bodies while… Show more
“…Figure 1.Three firefighter structural uniforms, which were tested in the course of the study: (a) the ergonomic (ER) jacket; (b) the standard (ST) jacket; (c) the bulky (BU) jacket; (d) storm flap closure with hook and loop (Velcro) and thermoplastic zipper jacket closure in the ER jacket; (e) closure with hook and loop (Velcro) and metal clips in the ST jacket; in the BU jacket the system of clips is attached to the Velcro closure; (f) the ER trousers; (g) the ST trousers; (h) the BU trousers; (i) sleeves of the ER; (j) sleeves of the ST; (k) sleeves of the BU. 9 …”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This questionnaire was inspired by a previous study. 9,26 The questionnaire contained the following questions: How does the clothing fit? (1 is ‘too small’ and 7 is ‘too large’); Do you think this clothing is bulky?…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The authors of the current study have already verified the impact of the ergonomic (ER), standard (ST), and bulky (BU) parameters on the range of motion (ROM) of subjects in a separate study and the results suggested that there is a statistically significant difference between the ROM in subjects depending on the tested uniforms. 9…”
The aim of this study was to verify whether the minor differences in the design of uniforms and their fit can be quantified in terms of their impact on firefighters’ cardiorespiratory parameters and subjective perception of these uniforms. The impact of minor design improvements compared to the existing designs of personal protective clothing (PPC) is still relatively difficult to quantify due to the lack of sensitive devices used in smart measuring methodologies; however, the perception of these slight differences is reported by PPC users. The impact of these design differences in PPC on firefighters was studied via physiological tests based on occupation-related activities in which cardiorespiratory parameters were monitored and three-dimensional (3D) silhouette scanning was performed on the firefighters. Apart from heart rate (beats/min), none of the other measured physiological parameters, for example, oxygen consumption (VO2, ml/min) demonstrated statistically significant differences when firefighters were testing uniforms: ergonomic (ER), standard (ST), bulky (BU), and reference outfit (RO), the latter being T-shirt and shorts. A statistically significant correlation was found between parameters measured via 3D body scanning and selected cross-sections of the silhouettes as well as subjective assessments of easiness of specific movement performance during the physiological test and assessment of bulkiness of the uniforms. There is a limited influence of the minor design differences between firefighters’ uniforms on the selected physiological parameters of the subjects wearing them. The outcome of the study can be utilized when performing the test on subjects and improving designs of PPC.
“…Figure 1.Three firefighter structural uniforms, which were tested in the course of the study: (a) the ergonomic (ER) jacket; (b) the standard (ST) jacket; (c) the bulky (BU) jacket; (d) storm flap closure with hook and loop (Velcro) and thermoplastic zipper jacket closure in the ER jacket; (e) closure with hook and loop (Velcro) and metal clips in the ST jacket; in the BU jacket the system of clips is attached to the Velcro closure; (f) the ER trousers; (g) the ST trousers; (h) the BU trousers; (i) sleeves of the ER; (j) sleeves of the ST; (k) sleeves of the BU. 9 …”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…This questionnaire was inspired by a previous study. 9,26 The questionnaire contained the following questions: How does the clothing fit? (1 is ‘too small’ and 7 is ‘too large’); Do you think this clothing is bulky?…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The authors of the current study have already verified the impact of the ergonomic (ER), standard (ST), and bulky (BU) parameters on the range of motion (ROM) of subjects in a separate study and the results suggested that there is a statistically significant difference between the ROM in subjects depending on the tested uniforms. 9…”
The aim of this study was to verify whether the minor differences in the design of uniforms and their fit can be quantified in terms of their impact on firefighters’ cardiorespiratory parameters and subjective perception of these uniforms. The impact of minor design improvements compared to the existing designs of personal protective clothing (PPC) is still relatively difficult to quantify due to the lack of sensitive devices used in smart measuring methodologies; however, the perception of these slight differences is reported by PPC users. The impact of these design differences in PPC on firefighters was studied via physiological tests based on occupation-related activities in which cardiorespiratory parameters were monitored and three-dimensional (3D) silhouette scanning was performed on the firefighters. Apart from heart rate (beats/min), none of the other measured physiological parameters, for example, oxygen consumption (VO2, ml/min) demonstrated statistically significant differences when firefighters were testing uniforms: ergonomic (ER), standard (ST), bulky (BU), and reference outfit (RO), the latter being T-shirt and shorts. A statistically significant correlation was found between parameters measured via 3D body scanning and selected cross-sections of the silhouettes as well as subjective assessments of easiness of specific movement performance during the physiological test and assessment of bulkiness of the uniforms. There is a limited influence of the minor design differences between firefighters’ uniforms on the selected physiological parameters of the subjects wearing them. The outcome of the study can be utilized when performing the test on subjects and improving designs of PPC.
“…End blocks are Figure 2. Distribution of electrogoniometers on the body of the subjects (copied from Ciesielska-wróbel et al [83]).…”
Section: Breathability: Moisture Management Property Is An Importamentioning
confidence: 99%
“…attached to the subject's skin. The strain gages in the blocks are connected to the data logger, and thus, the information about the movement is collected [83].…”
Section: Breathability: Moisture Management Property Is An Importamentioning
Protective and sport clothing is governed by protection requirements, performance, and comfort of the user. The comfort and impact performance of protective and sport clothing are typically subjectively measured, and this is a multifactorial and dynamic process. The aim of this review paper is to review the contemporary methodologies and approaches for measuring ergonomic wear comfort, including objective and subjective techniques. Special emphasis is given to the discussion of different methods, such as objective techniques, subjective techniques, and a combination of techniques, as well as a new biomechanical approach called modeling of skin. Literature indicates that there are four main techniques to measure wear comfort: subjective evaluation, objective measurements, a combination of subjective and objective techniques, and computer modeling of human–textile interaction. In objective measurement methods, the repeatability of results is excellent, and quantified results are obtained, but in some cases, such quantified results are quite different from the real perception of human comfort. Studies indicate that subjective analysis of comfort is less reliable than objective analysis because human subjects vary among themselves. Therefore, it can be concluded that a combination of objective and subjective measuring techniques could be the valid approach to model the comfort of textile materials.
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