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Anthropometric database for the EMTs in the United States (dataset).

NIOSH

Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Research Dataset RD-1008-2016-0, 2016 Nov; :dataset

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/data/datasets/RD-1008-2016-0/

20048910

Deaths or serious injuries among emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and other ambulance occupants occur at a high rate during transport. According to a study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), EMTs and paramedics have higher fatality rates when compared to all workers, with forty-five percent of EMT deaths resulting from highway incidents, primarily due to vehicle collisions. Data from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration showed that among the persons killed in crashes involving an ambulance between 1992 and 2011, twenty one percent were EMTs and patients, while four percent were ambulance drivers. To reduce injury potential to the EMTs and other ambulance occupants, NIOSH, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. General Services Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, along with private industry partners, have committed to improving the workspace design of ambulance patient compartments for safe and effective performance. Up-to-date EMT anthropometric data were needed for this effort. Between December 2013 and May 2015, NIOSH conducted a nationwide anthropometric survey of 472 male and 161 female EMTs in the continental U.S. A total of 40 measurements (39 body dimensions and weight) were taken on the basis of their utility in facilitating the patient compartment design. All measurements were taken while participants wore lab attire (shorts for men; shorts and sports bras for women), and assumed either a standing or seated posture. The current database consists of summary statistics (mean, standard deviation, standard error, N, and percentiles) of all 40 measurements in both metric and English units.

Anthropometry; Emergency responders; Emergency medical technician; EMT; Paramedical services; Paramedics; Humans; Men; Women; Injury prevention; Engineering controls

Jinhua Guan, Ph.D., NIOSH/DSR Protective Technology Branch, 1095 Willowdale Rd., Morgantown, WV 26505. Telephone: (304) 285-6333

20161101

Research Dataset

jguan@cdc.gov

2017

RD-1008-2016-0

DSR

Public Safety

Anthropometric database for the EMTs in the United States

WV