FireDOC Search

Author
Utech, H. P.
Title
Injury Statistics and the Design of Fire Fighters' Protective Clothing and Equipment.
Coporate
National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
Keywords
protective clothing | protective equipment | injuries | statistics | fire fighters
Identifiers
injury frequency and severity rates; nature of injury vs. part of body affected for all injuries; injuries at the fire scene; caustics and toxic substances; average days of disability per disabling injury; striking and being struck by objects; overexertion; falls; contact with high temperatures and hot objects
Abstract
Nearly everyone agrees that the fire fighter's protective clothing and equipment can and must be improved. But what kinds of improvements are needed? What are the hazards against which present-day protective clothing and equipment is less than fully effective? These seemingly simple questions are surprisingly difficult to answer. But a recently completed study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics has shed new light on the sometimes confusing and contradictory problems of fire fighter injuries.