Human Factors involved withPediatric Window Falls
Gary D. SloanG. David Sloan Inc.
Olympia, WAwww.gdsloan.com
2010 Community Forum:
Understanding and Preventing Window Falls Among Children
The Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center
Portland, Oregon November 9, 2010
A few words about Human Factors...
• For whom do we design?
Panero and Zelnik (1979) Human Dimension & Interior Space New York: Whitney Library
Physical Characteristics and Limitations
• Body Dimensions
• Biomechanics
Physical Characteristics and Limitations
• Biomechanics
Human Factors = Ergonomics
Physical Characteristics and Limitations
• Biomechanics
Center-of-Mass(COM)
Physical Characteristics and Limitations
• Biomechanics
Physical Characteristics and Limitations
• Biomechanics
Physiological Characteristics and Limitations
• Work Physiology
Expenditure of Energy
Physiological Characteristics and Limitations
• Stress Physiology
Source: blogs.mirror.co.uk
Psychological Characteristics and Limitations
• Perceptual Characteristics
Psychological Characteristics and Limitations
• Perceptual Characteristics
Psychological Characteristics and Limitations
• Perceptual Characteristics
Psychological Characteristics and Limitations
• Perceptual Characteristics
Binocular Color Fields
Psychological Characteristics and Limitations
• Cognitive Characteristics
Signal Detection Theory
Human Factors Specialist
Kind of a tailor…
Measure of good fit…
Human Factors
Maximum opening to prevent falls?
Human Factors
New
“O inches”
Children Can’t Fly Program
Human Factors
Maximum opening to prevent falls?
Maximum opening to prevent falls?
Which body dimension?
Which body dimension?
Which percentile?1st % 5th % 50th % 95th % 99th %
Most Narrow Most Wide
Head Breadth of Children
Age?
Source: Henry Dreyfuss Associates (1993)
Head Breadth of Children
Human Factors
Maximum opening to prevent falls?
? = 4 inches
How to implement?
What is the hazard?
What is the hazard?
Safety Hierarchy
Hazard = Acceleration
Mitigate: Forgiving Surfaces
Guard: 4-inch Opening
Warn: Alert to danger
Guarding
Through distance.
Guarding
Design Constraints?
• Fire codes
• Not interfere with emergency egress/access
One Human Factors Approach
Pinch Strength of Children
Who do we design for?
Measure of Good Fit
Performance
Fewer accidents and injuries…