Safety

Manual stair transport of bariatric patients imposes substantial physical demands on firefighters. This study evaluated the effects of manikin weight and transport direction on physiological responses during simulated stair transport. Twelve male professional firefighters, organised into three four-person teams, transported a bariatric (215.5 kg) and a standard-weight (85 kg) manikin up and down a staircase. Pulse rate and respiratory rate were measured before and immediately after transport, with pulse rate reassessed after one minute of recovery. Perceived exertion was assessed using the Borg scale. Data were analysed using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired comparisons. Manikin type significantly affected changes in pulse rate and respiratory rate and short-term pulse rate recovery. Transport direction significantly affected pulse rate change and recovery, but not respiratory rate change. The mean increase in pulse rate was greater during upward than downward bariatric transport (48.17 ± 16.94 versus 25.83 ± 22.96 beats/min; p = 0.044). Borg scores indicated high perceived exertion in both directions, without a statistically significant difference between them. These findings support combined physiological and perceived-exertion monitoring in firefighter training and the development of safer bariatric transport procedures.

Powered pistol-grip fastening tools can produce substantial handle rotation during torque build-up, which may contribute to operator overuse injuries. This study developed and evaluated a human-stiffness-based physical simulator for a controlled relative comparison of fastening variables affecting peak handle rotation. The simulator used a DC-powered pistol-grip tool, which was constrained to rotate about its spindle axis, with a double-acting pneumatic cylinder providing resistance set according to a specified human-derived stiffness. The evaluation used stiffness data from 10 operators at 5 and 7.5 N·m, with simulator peak displacement compared to in vivo measurements using paired analyses. The simulator was then used as a screening platform to examine the effect of target torque and, at 7.5 N·m, the effects of fastener material, drive style, head type, and spindle speed. The simulator overpredicted human peak displacement, with mean biases of 14.72° at 5 N·m and 10.29° at 7.5 N·m. The peak rotation increased by 15.0% when torque was increased from 5 to 7.5 N·m (p = 0.022). Torx Plus style fasteners produced 11.5% less rotation than Hex drive fasteners; fastener material significantly affected rotation; head type did not; and rotation was substantially lower at 160 rpm. Although the simulator did not reproduce absolute human displacement without bias, the results support its use as a screening platform for relative comparison under fixed mechanical boundary conditions rather than as an absolute predictor of human displacement or injury risk.

Work zones are essential for infrastructure maintenance, yet remain among the most hazardous environments for both workers and motorists. Despite widespread use of Temporary Traffic Control (TTC), incident rates remain elevated, suggesting limitations in current practices and insufficient integration of Internal Temporary Traffic Control (ITTC). This study employs a mixed-methods survey design to evaluate practitioner perceptions of TTC and ITTC effectiveness, identify perceived incident contributing factors, examine implementation challenges, and assess mitigation measures. Data were collected from 60 experienced transportation professionals using structured Likert-scale questions and open-ended responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA to compare perceived incident contributors and mitigation effectiveness, while qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis with affinity-based clustering of practitioner responses. Results indicate that distracted driving (M = 9.2) and speeding (M = 8.3) were perceived as the dominant contributors to work-zone crashes, significantly exceeding improper TTC and ITTC implementation. Among mitigation measures, visible police presence was rated most effective (M = 8.0, p < 0.001), outperforming automated ticketing and static pre-construction planning. Qualitative thematic analysis identified seven improvement domains: work-zone design and management, enforcement and speed control, driver education, worker training and certification, policy development, technology solutions, and inter-agency coordination. The findings demonstrate that sustainable work-zone safety requires an integrated socio-technical approach combining behavioral enforcement, adaptive TTC and ITTC management, structured inspection practices, and organizational accountability. The study provides practitioner-informed guidance for agencies and contractors to institutionalize ITTC within specifications, prioritize high-impact enforcement strategies, and adopt safety management frameworks shaped by field-tested professional expertise to address recurrent safety challenges in active construction environments.