Citation

Brown SH, Grondin DE, Potvin JR. Appl. Ergon. 2009; 40(4): 617-621.

Affiliation

Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.apergo.2008.04.019

PMID

18620335

Abstract

A majority of child safety restraints are misused in some manner, often leading to an increased risk of serious injury or death. It is possible that at least some instances of misuse are the result of biomechanical limitations during the installation process. Twenty-seven adult participants were trained and then monitored in three stages of child safety seat installation. All installations were done with an identical restraint system in the rear bench seat of a mocked-up minivan. EMG of 10 muscles, as well as trunk, shoulder, and wrist postures were analyzed. Peak maximum efforts were often required of the trunk extensor, forearm, and anterior shoulder muscles during the installation process. Routing and tightening of the seatbelt, as well as placing and securing the child into the seat were observed to be particularly difficult tasks. Many portions of the child safety seat installation process were found to be very physically demanding; some individuals may not be capable of performing these tasks correctly, thereby putting the child at greater risk in the motor vehicle.

Language: en