Injury Prevention: Integrating Human Factors and Biomechanics
Date: Oct. 24
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Place: 202 Dunstan Hall
Dr. John D. Hill
The University of Iowa
ABSTRACT
Injury Prevention: Integrating Human Factors and Biomechanics
Many aspects of industrial and systems engineering require an understanding of system use and the potential for undesirable outcomes. This is certainly the case when designing vehicle safety systems. This presentation proposes a process to effectively address the potential for crash related injuries, by integrating research in human factors and biomechanics, in order to identify the root causes of injuries and provide the basis for redesigning systems. The four components of this process include identifying injuries, assessing system use, determining the resulting injury mechanisms and designing the system to reduce injuries. This methodology is illustrated using a case study of injuries resulting from vehicle crashes. Specifically, the study evaluates injuries to 5th percentile and smaller female occupants, and is drawn from a number of research projects and industry experience. National crash databases are used to determine the extent to which these occupants are subject to severe injuries in crashes. Once the extent of injuries to these occupants is determined, additional studies assess the utilization of vehicle safety features and the response to the driving environment. Injuries are examined relative to differences in system use in order to develop design recommendations. These studies show that smaller female occupants are at a greater risk of severe injuries, in part due to inconsistencies between actual system use and assumptions used in testing when developing safety systems. Such findings have implications for both vehicle design and public policy.
