Design and Evaluation of Slip Resistant Winter Footwear

滑倒事故是暴露在室外冬季条件下的工人职业伤害的主要原因。在安大略省，五分之一的索赔是与跌倒相关的伤害，每一次都会导致平均36天的损失时间，并影响到许多行业。冬季，积雪和结冰的人行道和楼梯会导致较高的跌倒几率。我之前的工作表明，市场上销售的冬季用鞋在结冰的表面上防滑性能往往很差。此外，我开发了许多新的复合材料，一旦它们被纳入鞋底设计，就有可能极大地提高防滑性能，并在冬季减少与跌倒有关的伤害。 目标： 我的长期愿景是全面了解如何设计鞋类以防止在冰雪上滑倒，并利用这种理解来设计基于新型复合材料的鞋类，使冬季对所有人来说都更安全。 我的短期目标是： 1.研究冬季大底磨损与防滑的关系 2.研究踏面花纹与冰雪防滑的关系 3.使用可穿戴式防滑探测器在真实冬季验证新型鞋底设计的性能 这项为期5年的研究计划包括三项研究： 研究一将要求邮递员穿5种流行的带有计步器的鞋类5个月，包括冬季防滑和每月进行磨损测量，以便建立磨损和防滑之间的关系。 研究2将使用我们最近开发的最大倾斜度测试协议在模拟冬季环境中检查外底踏面设计特征，如踏面宽度、深度和冰雪表面的凹槽方向。 研究3将尝试使用邮递员在工作中佩戴的可穿戴式防滑检测器来验证复合材料和胎面图案的最佳组合的最大倾斜度测试结果。 动机： 与室外冬季鞋类相比，室内鞋类受益于基于稳健测试方法的标准化防滑评级。例如，对室内防滑鞋进行干预后，餐厅工作人员滑倒的几率降低了54%。直到最近，冬季鞋类还没有强大的防滑评级。我参与了一项新的标准化冰雪防滑测试方案(最大倾斜度测试)的开发。由于缺乏公认的冰雪防滑测试方法，导致缺乏创新，户外工人在冬天继续经历高坠落/受伤的比率。采用先进的防滑复合材料设计的新型鞋底有可能极大地减少各行业户外工作者的跌倒相关伤害。

Slip-and-fall incidents are the leading cause of occupational injuries in workers exposed to outdoor winter conditions. One in five claims in Ontario are for fall-related injuries that each result in 36 days of lost time on average and affect many industries. Snow and ice covered walkways and stairs result in higher rates of falls during the winter months. My previous work has shown that existing footwear marketed for use in the winter tends to have poor slip resistance on icy surfaces. Further, I have developed a number of novel composite materials that have the potential to greatly increase slip resistance and reduce fall-related injuries in the winter once they are incorporated in footwear outsole designs. OBJECTIVES: My long-term vision is to develop a comprehensive understanding of how footwear can be designed to prevent slips on snow and ice and to use this understanding to design footwear based on novel composite materials to make the winter season safer for all. My short-term objectives are to: 1. Investigate the relationship between outsole wear and slip resistance in winter weather 2. Investigate the relationship between tread pattern and slip resistance on ice and snow 3. Validate the performance of novel outsole designs in the real-world winter using a wearable slip detector This 5 year research program includes three studies: Study 1 will ask mail carriers to wear 5 popular models of footwear with attached pedometers for 5 months including the winter season with slip resistance and wear measurements taken monthly so that a relationship between wear and slip resistance can be developed. Study 2 will examine outsole tread design features such as tread width, depth and groove direction on ice and snow surfaces in a simulated winter environment using our recently developed max-incline testing protocol. Study 3 will attempt to validate the max-incline testing results of the best combinations of composite materials and tread patterns using a wearable slip detector worn by mail carriers on the job. MOTIVATION: In contrast to outdoor winter footwear, indoor footwear benefits from standardized slip resistance ratings based on robust test methods. For example, an intervention with slip-resistant indoor footwear resulted in a 54% reduction in the rate of slipping with restaurant workers. Until very recently, robust slip resistance ratings were not available for winter footwear. I contributed to the development of a novel standardized slip resistance testing protocol on ice and snow (the max-incline test). The lack of an accepted ice and snow slip-resistance test methods had resulted in a lack of innovation and outdoor workers continue to experience high rates of falls/injuries in the winter. The design of novel footwear outsoles using advanced slip resistant composite materials has the potential to dramatically reduce fall-related injuries in outdoor workers across industries.