Technology at Conestoga College’s Skilled Trades Campus in Cambridge, Ontario will result in the design of more effective personal protective equipment (PPE) that reflects the increasingly diverse composition of the trades, including women.
Two new state-of-the-art safety research labs have been launched under the Canadian Institute for Safety, Wellness and Performance (CISWP) and will officially open on October 15, 2024. The STRIDE lab is equipped with Canada’s first 4D body scanner, European technology that has been used to collect precise data to revolutionize how PPE is designed.
Using both static and dynamic measurements, anthropometric data is collected and provides insight into how bodies function and move, measuring postures, movements, and other factors that have implications for the design of the tools, equipment, and PPE that are being used.
The data collected will be made publicly available through two databases that will be developed over the next few years and will provide PPE manufacturers with information that will enable them to design more effective products that reflect the changing needs of the workforce.
The START lab will focus on the prevention of workplace injuries through advanced research and technology by leveraging specialized biomechanical, neurocognitive, and physiological instruments to study human performance to better understand how these actions lead to injury and risk and how to identify and mitigate them.
The equipment is portable and consists of measuring equipment and wearable sensors used to gather the data from the workers who are engaged in their daily tasks in real-world settings to give an accurate picture of the various dimensions at play to promote improved safety and productivity.
