The design of personal protective garments for workplace: an ergonomic radiation protection design practice

Muhammad Tufail, Haebin Lee, Myungjin Kim, Kwan Myung Kim

Research output: Chapter in book / Conference proceedingConference article published in proceeding or bookAcademic researchpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Personal protective garments are commonly used to protect workers from direct and secondary radiation in radiological workplaces. Traditionally, these garments are manufactured using heavy shielding chemical materials, such as lead or lead composite mixed with binders and additives to make lead loaded vinyl sheets. The materials used in such garments are toxic, subject to rapid decline, and cause lead poisoning and heat gain that create moisture inside the garments. These garments are heavy in weight, causing a higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries and workers’ fatigue and discomfort, which results in low productivity due to ergonomic detriment. We designed an ergonomic personal protective garment with a lightweight flexible structure and optimal shielding performance after a thorough examination of the existing safety in the workplace, worker’s tasks and exposure to radiation, and weight and type of the materials used in the existing garments. Our study suggests that a lightweight and flexible design factor that could improve workers physical activities and body movement by considering ergonomic design could increase productivity in radiological workplaces.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAdvances in Affective and Pleasurable Design - Proceedings of the AHFE 2017 International Conference on Affective and Pleasurable Design, 2017
EditorsWonJoon Chung, Cliff Sungsoo Shin
PublisherSpringer-Verlag
Pages416-425
Number of pages10
ISBN (Print)9783319604947
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes
EventAHFE 2017 International Conference on Affective and Pleasurable Design, 2017 - Los Angeles, United States
Duration: 17 Jun 201721 Jun 2017

Publication series

NameAdvances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
Volume585
ISSN (Print)2194-5357

Conference

ConferenceAHFE 2017 International Conference on Affective and Pleasurable Design, 2017
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityLos Angeles
Period17/06/1721/06/17

Keywords

  • Ergonomic design
  • Personal protective garment
  • Radiological workplace

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • General Computer Science

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