Oblikovanje zaštitne odjeće, obuće i opreme s ergonomskog stajališta

Abstract

SUMMARY: Ergonomics is a scientific discipline that explores the interaction between man, working systems and environment. Persons engaged in work activities should be protected according to workplace safety regulations by means of appropriate clothing, footwear and equipment specifically designed to meet ergonomic requirements. Protective clothing, footwear and equipment should be designed and engineered in such a way that their size and shape follow the dimensions and shape of the user’s body. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to make static and dynamic measurements of the user’s body. Based on static and dynamic anthropometry we have identified ergonomically favourable positions for pockets and zippers and the optimum length of sleeves, jackets, trousers, overalls, etc., as well as ergonomically favourable positions for incident-related equipment (e.g. devices for maintaining radio connections, lamp, breathing apparatus, etc.). In addition, it was established that some garments should overlap in order to avoid injury due to exposure of body parts. The paper provides examples of functional clothing designed for protection against heat and fire. The examples meet ergonomic requirements by identifying favourable pocket and zipper positions and sizes as well as by ensuring that some parts of protective clothing overlap to provide safety and protection. The paper also describes the method used for testing the ergonomic requirements of protective clothing and equipment, and presents the results of the survey that measured fire fighters’ satisfaction with this kind of protective clothing. The survey was conducted in three public fire brigades – two in Zagreb (Centre and Dubrava) and one in Karlovac, as well as two volunteer fire brigades (Dubrava and Karlovac).