DES PLAINES, IL (March 6, 2003) - Responding to the need for preventing workplace falls, the second leading cause of on-the-job fatalities, the American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation (ASSEF) recently awarded a $8,300 research grant to Auburn University Ph.D. student Lloyd Robert Wade III of Auburn, AL, who will conduct a study on rooftop balance and fall protection.

      The study titled "The Influence of Dynamic Tasks in Roof Work Environments on Balance and Postural Stability" will help determine what types of body motions are most susceptible to lead to falls from rooftops. The study will include observing roof workers on a pitched roof, with the proper fall protection equipment, in a controlled environment, to better understand the effects that elevated heights and angled surfaces have on balance and posture. This research will help understand movement from an inclined surface such as a roof to a flat surface such as a ladder or scaffolding, in order to develop proper safety measures and engineering controls to reduce the risk of falling during movement.

      Chartered in 1990, the ASSE Foundation is committed to ensuring the future of the occupational safety and health profession by providing financial resources to individuals and organizations. This year the Foundation will award nearly $50,000 in annual scholarships to occupational safety, health and environment college students. Funding for the Foundation comes from corporations and voluntary donations from ASSE members - individual and through chapters countrywide for applied safety research, scholarships, fellowships, internships and professional development. For more information on the Foundation and its programs visit www.asse.org/foundat.htm.

      Founded in 1911, the non-profit ASSE is the oldest and largest professional safety organization and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment. Its more than 30,000 members manage, supervise, research and consult on safety, health, transportation and environmental issues in all industries, government, labor and education. Contact ASSE at www.asse.org for more information.

     

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