Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Summary of Safety Harness

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Summary of Safety Harness

    Several months ago I posted a request for insight into safety harnesses
    for posture testing. Here is the (tardy!) list of the replies. Thanks
    to all those who replied!

    ************************************************** **********************
    Katy Rudolph, PhD, PT Ph: 617-353-5463
    Department of Biomedical Engineering fax: 617-353-5462
    Center for BioDynamics krudolph@bu.edu
    Boston University
    44 Cummington Street
    Boston, MA 01887

    ************************************************** ********************
    Bryan Kirking

    If you decide to build your own frame, check out 80/20 Inc. at
    www.fwi.com/8020. We have used them before to build smaller frames. The
    results look pretty cool, too.


    ************************************************** *********************
    Tom Kernozek, Ph.D.

    We have the Lite Gait by Mobility Research in our lab. We have similar
    constraints.

    Here is their phone number, web and e-mail address:
    Mobility Research www.litegait.com; e-mail MoRe@LiteGait.com
    phone: 1-800-332-WALK

    ************************************************** *********************
    Scott Colby

    Here in the Duke University Sports Medicine Department we have purchased a
    free standing frame with a harness support suspended from it which we use
    with our treadmill for rehabilitation purposes. The name of the device
    which we purchased is called Pneu-Weight and it is manufactured by Quinton
    Instruments.

    Their Home Office:
    3303 Monte Villa Parkway
    Bothell, WA 98021-8906
    Voice Mail: 800/426-0337 ext. 13940
    Fax: 206/402-2009

    Our regional contact:
    Paul Trodd
    Southern
    Fitness Regional Manager
    Phone and Fax:
    205/980-9861

    ************************************************** ***********************
    Ben Heller

    As part of my PhD work at the University of Strathclyde, I constructed a
    trapeziodal frame from 25mm square cross-section steel tubing, 1.2mm wall
    thickness, with a full-body mountaineering harness suspended from the
    Apex. I have all the design calculations which showed failure at 6KN, I
    allowed a safety factor of 5, limiting a subject's weight to 120Kg.

    We used a quick-release knot, to allow the subject to be lowered to a
    chair once the frame had arrested his fall.

    The frame was designed for ambulatory work, and so had casters that sprung
    out of the way when it was loaded, allowing rubber feet to lock the frame
    (the kick-stool principle).

    two of the side-members of the frame were chains, to allow wheelchairs to
    be pushed in and out easily. The frame could be folded for
    storage/transport - the longest member was 2.85m.

    ************************************************** ***********************
    Li-Shan Chou

    You can check the following paper, which described the design and test of
    an overhead harness system. "An overhead harness and trolley system for
    balance and ambulation assessment and training", Arch Phys Med & Rehabil
    74: 220-223.

    We, at Mayo, also constructed a safety harness system in the Motion Lab.
    It consists of a 6 meters long black anodized aluminum rail with a 6-wheel
    sliding carriage attached to the ceiling. The carriage is then connected
    with a fall-arrest full-body harness by a shock absorber and a strap with
    adjustable length.

    ************************************************** ************************
    Peter F. Meyer

    I think you should be able to attach your harness to the ceiling above.
    The concrete floor is 4.5" thick. It seems to me you have several options.

    1) Bolt the harness to the floor above. This could be done with a HILTI
    gun, which can shoot threaded studs into concrete. B&G has some that will
    shoot 1/4", I am not sure if they have one for 3/8". You can get one at
    a rental place if necessary.

    2) Clamp the harness to a steel beam with a beam clamp- pick some up at
    home depot. The above options will likely require permanent removal of
    the ceiling tiles and grid to avoid interference.

    3) A better option would be to run steel angle, or better yet, pipe across
    the area of interest, just below the ceiling tile. Attach the pipe to the
    beams with beam clamps and threaded rod just like you would hang piping.
    For extra insurance, attach 3/16 wire rope to the pipe hangers near the
    pipe, and clamp the rope to the beams so that they form an angle of about
    30 degrees or so. All that would show through the ceiling is the pipe, the
    bottom of the hangers, and a bit of wire rope. Since the clamps can be
    removed, the whole set up would be removable. A plumber could whip it up
    for you easily.

    ************************************************** ***********************
    Julie Harvey

    Co-workers of mine just purchased a device for "un-weighting" elderly
    subjects while they walk on a treadmill. It was made by Biodex. I can
    check with them on the name of the device if you need me to. Hope that
    helps.

    ************************************************** ***********************
    Steve Wolf

    Have you contacted either NeuroCom or Chattecx to see how
    they construct their uprights and crossbars from which a harness
    can be suspended?

    ************************************************** ********************
    Michael J. Worden, H/FI

    Quinton Instrument Company makes such a harness - their number is
    425-402-2000 or 800-426-0337 ext 2440 (sales)

    ************************************************** ********************
    Qi Liu

    Have you heard about UNSTRUT? This company's products work like heavy
    Erector toy. They have all kinds of parts. You need to do is to assemble
    them together. They have office in bay area. I am not sure whether they
    have office in Boston. The harness system in our lab is made of UNISTRUT.
    We do fix the beam on the ceiling. Their corporate phone number is
    1-800-521-7730 or 313-721-4106.

    ************************************************** ************************
    Eric Oussoren

    Contact Biodex Medical Systems Inc and speak to Marvin Maskowitz.
    Tel.: 516-924-9000

    They have a free standing frame on castors. P/No.: 945-450.

    ************************************************** ************************
    Cameron D. Grant Email. C.Grant@LaTrobe.edu.au or TSU@LaTrobe.edu.au
    http://www.health.latrobe.edu.au/hs/ss/TS/TSUhome.html

    You may find it useful to talk with companies about fall arresting
    harnesses (for people working in high places etc.) They can also fill you
    in on the requirements for anchor points for your job. In Australia, the
    anchor points for fall arrest is 15Kn (yes 1.5 ton!). We've just put a
    grid into the roof of our movement lab, and this is what was needed
    (admittedly it is a 5m high ceiling). We haven't looked at harnesses for
    elderly, but will at some stage soon (also some sort of rail system so
    that they can walk along a pathway), so I'll be interested in what you
    find. I imagine that harnesses that are comfortable to wear, fit, and
    still work will be a big ask, especially for the elderly. I look forward
    to seeing your summary... Good luck

    ************************************************** ***********************
    Rodger Kram e-mail
    WWW http://socrates.berkeley.edu:80/~rkram/

    don't waste your money. unless you have too much! Go to EMS (Eastern
    Mountain Sports) on Comm. Ave. (i used to live in Boston) and buy a rock
    climbing harness (about 45$) then find a local distributor of UniStrut
    Products. they make all the brackets, conduit holders etc. that you have
    in most all buildings. what you want is Telespar. this is square steel
    tubing with holes already drilled. if you want to see Telespar, look at
    what supports a typical street sign (stop, yield etc.).

    you want the 2 inch size. it can be cut to size. design a cube frame and
    connect the corners of the cube with an overlapping tri joint such that
    any two struts are connected by one bolt (3 bolts per corner)

    send me your fax # if interested and i can fax you a drawing. telespar is
    about 3$/foot.

    we use this for treadmill running partial body weight support
    (hypo-gravity) system regularly. it will definitely support a person
    falling.

    it is free standing.

    ************************************************** ***********************
    Steven E. Irby

    Karen L. Harburn, PhD. of the Western University of Ontario, Canada,
    published a description of their system in Arch Phys Med Rehabil Vol 74,
    February 1993, pp220-223. It was entitled 'An Overhead Harness and Trolly
    System for Balance and Ambulation Assessment and Training." A free
    standing frame is described and a photo is included in the publication.
    Dr. Harburn was most helpful over the telephone as well.

    ************************************************** ************************
    Mr J.P. Tayler

    I'm not actually a BiomechL subscriber but my wife is, and she wondered
    if I could help.

    A friend of mine tested climbing harnesses to destruction on a
    free-standing framework as part of some research in the 80's. He built a
    box-frame from builder's scaffolding poles, and then put a cross bar on
    the top. He then clipped 2 large devices called maillons - a heavy-duty
    screw-together linkage for joining chains - to the cross piece and then
    suspended a line to which he attached the harnesses. I would suggest
    approaching REI (the outdoor outfitters)in the US for information about
    harnesses, MEC in Canada, or maybe Troll who manufacture harnesses in the
    UK. Troll definitely have an active research science division and they may
    be able to offer valuable advice/help.

    ************************************************** **********************
    Al Finch

    I have a free standing supporting tethering system in my laboratory. It
    is called the Conva-Lift and it is FDA approved and patented by Numerical
    Concepts in Terre Haute, IN. I have used the system for about 4 years in
    developing procedure protocols for active traction and unweighted gait or
    unweighted partial squats. It is a pneumatic system that dynamically
    adjusts in order to keep the same exact foot weight during the gait cycle.
    It will handle a 400 lbs patient easily from a wheel chair. It has a 12ft
    circle footprint and uses air pressure at 80-120 psi that may come from a
    conpressed air cylinder or small compressor. The subject walks in a 12 ft
    dia circle while tethered from a pneumatic boom.The unweighted gait
    creates a similar forceplatform pattern but just lighter. I published the
    results in the International Society for Biomechanics in Sports
    proceedings at Amherst (1994),Thunderbay(1995),and Madeira(1996). The
    system really works great, I have finished examining its effects on
    healthy and individuals with chronic low back pain and we are now ready to
    evaluate its effectiveness on a convalescent population. Please contact
    me if you desire any further information.

    ************************************************** ********************
    David L. Jaffe

    We have a Biodex unweighing system. It is an overhead system supported by
    wheels. It costs about $3600 and comes with one vest (you may need
    additional sizes). It has a pulley system - you can actually lift the
    subject off the ground. A load cell measures how much the subject has
    been unweighed.

    I was unable to find a reference to this unit on the Biodex website:

    http://www.biodex.com

    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    To unsubscribe send SIGNOFF BIOMCH-L to LISTSERV@nic.surfnet.nl
    For information and archives: http://isb.ri.ccf.org/biomch-l
    ---------------------------------------------------------------
Working...
X