入浴用電動ストレッチャの挟まれ防止方策の提案と評価

抄録

In nursing homes and welfare facilities, the positive utilization of power bathing assistive machines is strongly promoted as a measure to prevent nursing care staffs from being suffered lumbar pain. However, elimination of hazards or reduction of risks associated with the machines by technical protective measures that are implemented at the design phase can be considered inadequate in comparison with other industrial machinery. In this paper, three protective devices for a bath lift trolley against the hazardous compress of operator's upper limb are proposed, which are devised on the basis of safety technologies having been cultivated in the manufacturing industry. Furthermore, usability evaluation tests that nursing care staffs simulatively carry out bathing help works using the bath lift trolley equipped with the proposed protective devices are conducted to confirm that the proposed devices do not adversely affect the usability of the bath lift trolley and the operator's working conditions.