Wheelchair Pushing Forces over a Vinyl and a New Shock-Absorbing Flooring

Abstract

Introduction:

A new shock-absorbing flooring has been developed for use in Institutions that provide care for the older person. This flooring aims to prevent or reduce injuries that occur on impact with the floor following a fall. There was a concern, however, that the forces required to push wheelchairs and similar heavy equipment over the shock-absorbing flooring may be much larger than over conventional vinyl flooring and could have risk implications for safe moving and handling, This study was designed to assess the push-to-start force (termed ‘stiction’ force) and the constant speed force (Vc) for the new flooring and to compare these results with those over regular vinyl flooring.

Method:

An instrumented standard wheelchair was used in the study, with different weights that would cover a range of normal usage.

Results:

The force to overcome the initial resistance and to push at a constant speed was greater over the shock-absorbing flooring than over the 2 mm vinyl. The forces increased with subject weight, the maximum stiction force being 63 N (14.2 Ibf) and 39 N (8.8 Ibf) pushing at a constant speed of 3 km/hr, for a total weight of 125 kg.

Conclusion:

This is a significant increase in force required to push a weighted 8L wheelchair over the shock-absorbing flooring. There would be similar increases in the pushing forces for other wheeled equipment, such as beds.