Evaluating Police Officer Mobility in Personal

Protective Equipment used in Crowd Management Situation

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has become an integral part of the law enforcement uniform.

Modern Law Enforcement uniform

Important qualities of PPE intended for Crowd Management Interventions...

Blunt impact protection

Freedom of movement (range of motion and passive joint

resistance)

Fire retardant

Light weight (Less than 14 lbs -

5.7kg)

Comfort

Personal Protective Equipment

Subjects

15 healthy and active males

Age 21.5 ± 1.5 years

Weight 86.6 ± 8.8 kg

Height 180 ± 4 cm

Equipment

Protective ensemble

Pool ball

Pop Can

Half-brick

Mass: 170 g

Energy: 33-82 Joules

Mass: 372 g

Energy: 68-132 Joules

Mass: 936 g

Energy: 134-214 Joules

Mass: 210 g

Energy: 82 Joules

Mass: 360 g

Energy: 124 Joules

Mass: 954 g

Energy: 168 Joules

Surrugated by:

PROJECTILE SIMULATION

Introduce a quantitative ergonomic method of evaluating:

Joint Range of Motion (ROM) – limited by the anatomical bone structure and the material properties of the tissues affected by PPE

Joint Resistance (passive joint moment of force) – dependent on passive tissues, body fluids and muscle tone over the ROM affected by PPE

JOINT RESISTANCE

Procedure originated in research examining rheumatoid arthritis and other

related pathologies.

Expanded to specific joints of the body, rehabilitation, and sports related areas.

Test method : Torso

Torse Hybrid III – Mannequin anthropomorphique

Kin-Com 500H isokinetic

dynamometer (Chattecx

Corp. – now Biodex)

“Gravity compensation”

• Software feature that

factors out the weight of the limb and Kin-

Com attachments

Moment of Force and ROM Measurement

5 joints (right side of the body)

- ankle, knee, hip, elbow and shoulder

Single trial involved 5 complete repetitions of the

flexion-extension cycle

Angular velocity 5°/s

- prevents activation of the muscle stretch reflex and limits the effect of inertia

Experimental Protocol

Familiarization period for subjects

- (anthropometric measurements, introduction to

stretching protocol and Kin-Com)

Compare V-Top with no equipment (NE) conditions

Standardized positions for all joints

Experimental Protocol

• Both dorsiflexion and plantarflexion were tested in the supine position

Dorsiflexion Plantarflexion

Ankle

Knee

• Hip flexion was examined in the supine position

Flexion

Hips

Flexion Extension

• Elbow flexion and extension were evaluated in a

seated position

Elbow

Flexion Extension

Shoulder flexion tested in the supine position

Shoulder extension tested in the prone position

Shoulder

Zone I [4]

Zone II [3]

Zone III [2]

Zone IV [1]

Hand & fingers evaluation

• Articulation Radiocarpienne (A)

• Metacarpophalangiale (B)

• Interphalengiale proximale (C)

GAUNTLET ANTI-RIOT PORTECTION GLOVES

Anti-Riot Gloves - Gauntlet

Comparaison of “Gauntlet” with two pairs of motorcycle gloves

0

2

4

6

8

10

Blu

nt Im

pa

ct P

rote

ctio

n

Glo

ba

l S

co

re

Glo

ve B

Gauntlet

Glo

ve A

BioProc software (University of Ottawa)

Individual cycles time normalized to 500 points

3-5 cycles averaged for each subject condition

ROM, peak joint moment of force, and average

stiffness (derivative of the moment of force and

angle curves)

Paired Sample t-tests (p<0.05)

DATA PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS

An k l e E l b o w H i p K n e e K n e e S h l d S h l d

Ext Flex Ext Flex

220

98%

200

180

90%

160

140

120

100%

100

100% 80

60

40

100% 20

0

97% 98%

NEV-

Top

Participants wearing V-Top were able to meet

and even exceed

ROM normative

values

Sufficient for many common activities such as walking, sitting, lifting, etc.

Joint V-Top

(°)

Normative Values*

(°)

Ankle 81 ± 8 50-70

Elbow 146 ± 11 146

Hip Flexion 136 ± 6 140

Knee 142 ± 9 140

Shoulder

Extension 68 ± 8 60

Flexion 198 ± 8 180

* Nordin and Frankel (2001)

Normative ROM Values

100

40

20

80

60

0

NE V-Top

• Significant differences (p<0.05)

found in...

- Elbow flexion

- Hip flexion

- Knee flexion

Ankle Elbow Hip Knee Knee Sh ld Sh ld Ext Flex Ext Flex

Examining the joint range of motion and

resistance proved to be a valid scientific means of

objectively evaluating the ergonomic performance

of PPE used in law enforcement

Applicable for testing other forms of PPE and

sports equipment

Overall, the V-Top was found not to interfere with the majority of joint movements

CONCLUSION