Publication Abstract

Influence of Occupational Footwear on Muscle Activity during a Simulated Workload

Luginsland, L. A., Chander, H., Wade, C., Garner, J. C., Eason, J. D., Wilson, S. J., Gdovin, J. R., Hill, C. M., Knight, A., & Carruth, D. W. (2017). Influence of Occupational Footwear on Muscle Activity during a Simulated Workload. Proceedings of the American Society of Biomechanics Annual Conference. Boulder, CO. 1003-1004.

Abstract

Falls in the work place are a major economic burden. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a total of 4,679 workplace fatalities, and a total of 316,650 non-fatal workplace injuries that were due to falls in 2014. Moreover, the leading event or exposure for occupational injuries and illness were workload overexertion [1]. Previous literature has suggested that occupational footwear can cause balance decrements [2,3,4], as can occupational workloads [3,4]. Occupational footwear, while designed primarily for safety, may not provide proper ankle and foot support and predispose the body to postural control decrements, particularly when exposed to extended durations of an occupational workload. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine differences in muscle activation levels of the lower extremities while wearing different types of occupational footwear during a simulated extended duration occupational workload. The current footwear are standard footwear of the construction and manufacturing industry, and include the Work Boot (WB) (mass: 0.39 ± 0.06 kg; boot shaft height: 18.5 cm), Tactical Boot (TB) (mass 0.53 ± 0.08 kg; boot shaft height: 16.5 cm) and Low Top Shoes (LT) (mass: 0.89 ± 0.05 kg; boot shaft height: 9.5 cm).