title: Police officer in-vehicle discomfort: appointments carriage method and vehicle seat features.
abstract: Musculoskeletal pain is commonly reported by police officers. A potential cause of officer discomfort is a mismatch between vehicle seats and the method used for carrying appointments. Twenty-five police officers rated their discomfort while seated in: (1) a standard police vehicle seat, and (2) a vehicle seat custom-designed for police use. Discomfort was recorded in both seats while wearing police appointments on: (1) a traditional appointments belt, and (2) a load-bearing vest/belt combination (LBV). Sitting in the standard vehicle seat and carrying appointments on a traditional appointments belt were both associated with significantly elevated discomfort. Four vehicle seat features were most implicated as contributing to discomfort: back rest bolster prominence; lumbar region support; seat cushion width; and seat cushion bolster depth. Authorising the carriage of appointments using a LBV is a lower cost solution with potential to reduce officer discomfort. Furthermore, the introduction of custom-designed vehicle seats should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Human Factors Team, Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), Monash Injury Research Institute (MIRI), Building 70, Wellington Road, Clayton, Vic 3800, Australia. Electronic address: ashleigh.filtness@qut.edu.au.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Filtness
authors.affiliation: Human Factors Team, Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), Monash Injury Research Institute (MIRI), Building 70, Wellington Road, Clayton, Vic 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mitsopoulos-Rubens
authors.affiliation: Human Factors Team, Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), Monash Injury Research Institute (MIRI), Building 70, Wellington Road, Clayton, Vic 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Rudin-Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018986:Motor Vehicles / Q000592:standards; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control; D016495:Police; D011187:Posture; D011481:Protective Clothing / Q000009:adverse effects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Automotive seating discomfort questionnaire (ASDQ); Occupational injury; Vehicle seat design