Effects of Ladder Climbing Patterns on Fall Severity

Abstract

A fall from a ladder is the most common cause of a fatal fall injury to a lower level. Current guidelines recommend proper ladder climbing to avoid a ladder fall, but there is a lack of understanding on safe ladder climbing biomechanics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different temporal (2-beat, 4-beat) and coordination (lateral, diagonal) ladder climbing patterns on fall severity. In this study, fall severity is quantified as the peak weight supported by a safety harness (normalized to body weight) after a climbing perturbation. A greater harness force is associated with a greater probability of a falling event resulting into a fall. The airborne times of the hand and foot for each climbing pattern were investigated to better understanding differences between climbing patterns. This study did not find climbing patterns to affect fall severity. Thus, the events that occur after a ladder climbing perturbation may be more critical to consider when investigating ladder fall severity. Hand and foot airborne times varied by climbing pattern. Specifically, hand airborne times for the lateral coordination pattern were 19% longer than those of the diagonal coordination pattern. Foot airborne times of the 2-beat temporal pattern were 15% longer than those of the 4-beat temporal pattern. Increased airborne times may be indicative of overlapping regions and resources competition in the primary cortex.