Health Risks to Fire Fighters

Matticks, Craig; Westwater, Jay J.; Himel, Harvey N.; Morgan, Raymond F.; Edlich, Richard F.

doi:10.1097/00004630-199203000-00010

Cited by 19 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…For example, many accidents occur on the emergency vehicles. The most dangerous positions on a fire engine are the rear step and the running board (Matticks et al 1992).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The high cardiovascular strain and the possible deleterious effects of carbon monoxide and other fire contaminants place the fire-fighter at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (Matticks et al 1992, Melius 1995. Though the increased use of protective equipment may reduce exposure to toxic fire contaminants, it can also increase physical stress (Louhevaara et al 1985, White et al 1989, Lusa et al 1993.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The physical demands upon (Dutch) fire-fighters in relation to the maximum acceptable energetic workload

et al. 2004

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To cite this Article Bos, Jurriaan , Mol, Eric , Visser, Bart and Frings-Dresen, Monique HW(2004) 'The physical demands upon (Dutch) fire-fighters in relation to the maximum acceptable energetic workload ', Ergonomics, 47: 4,[446][447][448][449][450][451][452][453][454][455][456][457][458][459][460] To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/00140130310001643283 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00140130310001643283Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. The aim of this study was to assess the tasks and activities that make physical demands on Dutch fire-fighters and to compare them with a guideline related to the development of excessive fatigue. The occupational physical demands on Dutch fire-fighters were assessed by conducting a task analysis during 85 24-h shifts. While workplace observations on the duration and frequency of physical tasks and activities were recorded, the heart rate was measured. This was then used to calculate the heart rate reserve percentage (%HRR) for predefined working periods, tasks and activities during 24-h shifts. The findings indicate that actual fire-fighting during 24-h shifts is characterised by a low frequency of incidents, a short 'turn-out' time, short tasks, and activities with a moderate to occasionally high energetic workload. Two tasks which sometimes occur in actual fire-fighting exceeded the guideline on energetic workload. The conclusion was that, though the number of incidents and the occupational demands are low during 24-h shifts, the peak loads for these two tasks are energetically high and could lead to excessive fatigue. Consequently, attention may need to be paid to health surveillance for persons exposed to such energetic peak loads, the development of physical and medical selection procedures, training, and workplace adjustments.

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“…For example, many accidents occur on the emergency vehicles. The most dangerous positions on a fire engine are the rear step and the running board (Matticks et al 1992).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The physical demands upon (Dutch) fire-fighters in relation to the maximum acceptable energetic workload

et al. 2004

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“…Firefighting is a dangerous occupation, and is associated with a variety of hazards, including rigorous physical training activities and exercise and emergency situations involving high temperatures, smoke and other air contaminants, ergonomic issues, and others (Brandt-Rauf, Fallon et al 1988; Matticks, Westwater et al 1992; Szubert and Sobala 2002; Poplin, Harris et al 2011). As a result, the roughly 1.1 million firefighters in the US (NFPA 2005) are known to be at elevated risk of a number of occupational injuries and illnesses (Leigh and Miller 1997; Karter and Badger 2000; Poplin, Harris et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pilot task-based assessment of noise levels among firefighters

Neitzel

Hong

Quinlan

et al. 2013

International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics

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PURPOSE Over one million American firefighters are routinely exposed to various occupational hazards agents. While efforts have been made to identify and reduce some causes of injuries and illnesses among firefighters, relatively little has been done to evaluate and understand occupational noise exposures in this group. The purpose of this pilot study was to apply a task-based noise exposure assessment methodology to firefighting operations to evaluate potential noise exposure sources, and to use collected task-based noise levels to create noise exposure estimates for evaluation of risk of noise-induced hearing loss by comparison to the 8-hr and 24-hr recommended exposure limits (RELs) for noise of 85 and 80.3 dBA, respectively. METHODS Task-based noise exposures (n=100 measurements) were measured in three different fire departments (a rural department in Southeast Michigan and suburban and urban departments in Northern California). These levels were then combined with time-at-task information collected from firefighters to estimate 8-hr noise exposures for the rural and suburban fire departments (n=6 estimates for each department). Data from 24-hr dosimetry measurements and crude self-reported activity categories from the urban fire department (n=4 measurements) were used to create 24-hr exposure estimates to evaluate the bias associated with the task-based estimates. RESULTS Task-based noise levels were found to range from 82–109 dBA, with the highest levels resulting from use of saws and pneumatic chisels. Some short (e.g., 30 min) sequences of common tasks were found to result in nearly an entire allowable daily exposure. The majority of estimated 8-hr and 24-hr exposures exceeded the relevant recommended exposure limit. Predicted 24-hr exposures showed substantial imprecision in some cases, suggesting the need for increased task specificity. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate potential for overexposure to noise from a variety of firefighting tasks and equipment, and suggest a need for further exposure characterization and additional hearing loss prevention efforts. RELEVANCE TO INDUSTRY Firefighters may be at risk of noise-induced hearing loss, which can affect their fitness for duty and ability to respond effectively to emergencies. The results of this study suggest that additional efforts at hearing loss prevention among firefighters are warranted.

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“…Dentre as principais exposições podemos destacar os elevados níveis de ruído, as mudanças térmicas e a exposição a gases tóxicos. Vale ressaltar que o uso de equipamento de proteção individual nem sempre é freqüente, pois pode limitar a eficiência e o desempenho do trabalho (21) .…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Incômodo causado pelo ruído a uma população de bombeiros

Sousa

Fiorini

Guzman

2009

Rev. soc. bras. fonoaudiol.

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OBJETIVO: Identificar o incômodo causado pelo ruído e queixas relacionadas à saúde auditiva em uma corporação de bombeiros do município Santo André (SP). MÉTODOS: Tratou-se de um estudo epidemiológico transversal de inquérito na população de 72 bombeiros do 8º Grupamento, 28 do setor administrativo, 20 do centro de ocorrência e 24 do atendimento operacional. Foi aplicado um protocolo composto por 57 questões referentes a dados pessoais, queixas auditivas, não auditivas e de incômodo. Também foi realizado o mapeamento sonoro do local. RESULTADOS: Os níveis de pressão sonora no local da corporação ultrapassaram 67 dB (A), chegando a níveis maiores de 82 dB (A) na avenida. A maioria (83,3%) dos sujeitos relatou o cotidiano ruidoso no trabalho, sendo o ruído urbano citado como maior fonte. Quando vistos separadamente por área de atuação, a maior ocorrência foi para ruído urbano (73,9%), ruído da viatura (68,0%) e ruído do telefone (38,2%) para o setor administrativo, divisão operacional e atendimento de ocorrências, respectivamente. CONCLUSÃO: Os bombeiros analisados, além da exposição a ruídos provenientes da ocupação no ambiente de trabalho como viaturas, rádios de comunicação e telefones, também sofrem as consequências do ruído urbano, que altera atividades no trabalho e provoca incômodo.

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Health Risks to Fire Fighters

Cited by 19 publications

References 0 publications

The physical demands upon (Dutch) fire-fighters in relation to the maximum acceptable energetic workload

The physical demands upon (Dutch) fire-fighters in relation to the maximum acceptable energetic workload

Pilot task-based assessment of noise levels among firefighters

Incômodo causado pelo ruído a uma população de bombeiros

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