Citation

Fairbrother JT, Readdick CA, Shea JB. Ergon. Des. 2008; 16(1): 14-18.

Affiliation

Motor Behavior Lab, University of Tennessee, USA; Dept of Family and Child Sciences, Florida State University, USA; Kinesiology Deartment, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article describes a forensic analysis of a portable crib that was involved in the death of a 17-month-old boy. The investigation included an event analysis, torque measurements, and observation of users. A three-factor approach that considered the interactions among users, the crib itself, and the contexts in which the crib is used yielded a broad understanding of the situation surrounding the use of the crib and helped identify a plausible series of events that could lead to a child fatality. The results illustrated the benefits of the three-factor approach in recognizing aspects of use that might be overlooked in the design of products.