Gait adaptation on surfaces with different degrees of slipperiness.

Gait adaptation to employ different ways to avoid a potential slip is needed to continue walking safely on a new surface, especially when transitioning to a slippery surface. In this experiment, participants walked back and forth five times (trials) on surfaces with different degrees of slipperiness. The results show that trial 1 was significantly different from other trials for most of the dependent variables, especially for the low and high friction conditions.

The direct cost burden of 13years of disabling workplace injuries in the U.S. (1998-2010): Findings from the Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index.

Introduction: Although occupational injuries are among the leading causes of death and disability around the world, the burden due to occupational injuries has historically been under-recognized, obscuring the need to address a major public health problem.

Methods: We established the Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index (LMWSI) to provide a reliable annual metric of the leading causes of the most serious workplace injuries in the United States based on direct workers compensation (WC) costs.

Results: More than $600 billion in direct WC costs were spent on the most disabling compensable non-fatal injuries and illnesses in the United States from 1998 to 2010.

Contribution of gait parameters and available coefficient of friction to perceptions of slipperiness.

Perceived slipperiness rating (PSR) has been widely used to assess walkway safety. In this experiment, 29 participants were exposed to 5 floor types under dry, wet and glycerol conditions. The relationship between their PSR and objective measurements, including utilized coefficient of friction (UCOF), gait kinematics and available coefficient of friction (ACOF), was explored with a regression analysis using step-wise backward elimination.

The stochastic distribution of available coefficient of friction for human locomotion of five different floor surfaces.

The maximum coefficient of friction that can be supported at the shoe and floor interface without a slip is usually called the available coefficient of friction (ACOF) for human locomotion. The probability of a slip could be estimated using a statistical model by comparing the ACOF with the required coefficient of friction (RCOF), assuming that both coefficients have stochastic distributions. An investigation of the stochastic distributions of the ACOF of five different floor surfaces under dry, water and glycerol conditions is presented in this paper.

Stochastic distribution of the required coefficient of friction for level walking--an in-depth study.

Unlabelled: This study investigated the stochastic distribution of the required coefficient of friction (RCOF) which is a critical element for estimating slip probability. Fifty participants walked under four walking conditions. The results of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test indicate that 76% of the RCOF data showed a difference in distribution between both feet for the same participant under each walking condition; the data from both feet were kept separate.

Comparison of different methods to extract the required coefficient of friction for level walking.

Unlabelled: The required coefficient of friction (RCOF) is an important predictor for slip incidents. Despite the wide use of the RCOF there is no standardised method for identifying the RCOF from ground reaction forces. This article presents a comparison of the outcomes from seven different methods, derived from those reported in the literature, for identifying the RCOF from the same data.

The stochastic distribution of available coefficient of friction on quarry tiles for human locomotion.

The available coefficient of friction (ACOF) for human locomotion is the maximum coefficient of friction that can be supported without a slip at the shoe and floor interface. A statistical model was introduced to estimate the probability of slip by comparing the ACOF with the required coefficient of friction, assuming that both coefficients have stochastic distributions. This paper presents an investigation of the stochastic distributions of the ACOF of quarry tiles under dry, water and glycerol conditions.

The effect of transverse shear force on the required coefficient of friction for level walking.

Objective: An enhanced methodology to extract the required coefficient of friction (RCOF) value was used to investigate the effects of the transverse shear component of the ground reaction force (GRF) on the RCOF.

Background: The RCOF is an important indicator for slip incidents. However,the extraction of the RCOF from GRF is not standardized.

Etiology of work-related electrical injuries: a narrative analysis of workers' compensation claims.

The purpose of this study was to provide new insight into the etiology of primarily nonfatal, work-related electrical injuries. We developed a multistage, case-selection algorithm to identify electrical-related injuries from workers' compensation claims and a customized coding taxonomy to identify pre-injury circumstances. Workers' compensation claims routinely collected over a 1-year period from a large U.

Linear regression models of floor surface parameters on friction between Neolite and quarry tiles.

For slips and falls, friction is widely used as an indicator of surface slipperiness. Surface parameters, including surface roughness and waviness, were shown to influence friction by correlating individual surface parameters with the measured friction. A collective input from multiple surface parameters as a predictor of friction, however, could provide a broader perspective on the contributions from all the surface parameters evaluated.

A methodology to quantify the stochastic distribution of friction coefficient required for level walking.

The required friction coefficient is defined as the minimum friction needed at the shoe and floor interface to support human locomotion. The available friction is the maximum friction coefficient that can be supported without a slip at the shoe and floor interface. A statistical model was recently introduced to estimate the probability of slip and fall incidents by comparing the available friction with the required friction, assuming that both the available and required friction coefficients have stochastic distributions.

Survey of acute low back pain management by specialty group and practice experience.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore concurrence with evidence-based management of acute back pain by primary care specialty and years in practice groups.

Methods: Participants randomly selected from five American Medical Association physician groups were surveyed asking their initial care recommendations for case scenarios with and without sciatica. Response differences were compared among groups and with the Agency for Health Research Quality's guideline.

Work-related ladder fall fractures: identification and diagnosis validation using narrative text.

Objective: To identify ladder-related fracture injuries and determine how ladder fall fractures differ from other ladder-related injuries.

Methods: Ladder-related fracture cases were identified using narrative text and coded data from workers' compensation claims. Potential cases were identified by text searches and verified with claim records.

Physicians' initial management of acute low back pain versus evidence-based guidelines. Influence of sciatica.

Background: Little information is available on physician characteristics and patient presentations that may influence compliance with evidence-based guidelines for acute low back pain.

Objective: To assess whether physicians' management decisions are consistent with the Agency for Health Research Quality's guideline and whether responses varied with the presentation of sciatica or by physician characteristics.

Design: Cross-sectional study using a mailed survey.

Available friction of ladder shoes and slip potential for climbing on a straight ladder.

Straight ladder accidents are a major safety problem. As a leading cause of injuries involving straight ladders, slips at the ladder base occur when the required friction exceeds the available friction at the ladder shoe and floor interface. The objectives of this experiment were to measure the available friction at the base of a portable straight ladder in contact with a floor and to estimate the slip potential of the ladder.

Arm abduction strength and its relationship to shoulder geometry.

This study was conducted to test whether glenohumeral geometry, as measured through MRI scans, is correlated with upper arm strength. The isometric shoulder strength of 12 subjects during one-handed arm abduction in the coronal plane, in a range from 5 degrees to 30 degrees , was correlated with the geometries of their glenoid fossas. Seven parameters describing the glenohumeral joint geometry in the coronal plane were identified as having expected influence on shoulder strength.

The effect of surface waviness on friction between Neolite and quarry tiles.

Friction is widely used as an indicator of surface slipperiness in preventing accidents in slips and falls. Surface texture affects friction, but it is not clear which surface characteristics are better correlated with friction. Highly correlated surface characteristics could be used as potential interventions to prevent slip and fall accidents.

Field evaluation of two commonly used slipmeters.

A variety of slipmeters have been used to assess the slipperiness of floor surfaces. International standards for the operation of slipmeters describe the protocol for a single measurement. These standards usually do not cover some of the critical elements in safety assessment such as methods for the selection of measurement locations and the necessary number of repeated measurements at each location.

The validity and reliability of a portable slip meter for determining floor slipperiness during simulated heel strike.

A previously developed test rig was used as starting point for designing a portable slip meter with two new features. First, an inflatable pneumatic test wheel, consisting of six slider units, was introduced as the impacting contact element relative to floor surface. Second, an inductive trigger was built into the system to facilitate a precise timing of the slider-floor contact during the test.

Disabling occupational injury in the US construction industry, 1996.

In 1996 the US construction industry comprised 5.4% of the annual US employment but accounted for 7.8% of nonfatal occupational injuries and illness and 9.