Moodboard and Introduction

In 1978 disaster in Waverley, Tennessee, 16 rescue workers were killed and 43 others injured by a petroleum gas rupture and explosion while cleaning up debris from a twenty-three-car train derailment. It is a tragedy that additional lives are lost post-disaster.

Disaster sites pose a multitude of safety concerns. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the  hazards and exposures are a function of the unstable nature of the site, the potential of hazardous substances being present and the type of work being performed.An accurate assessment of all hazards may not be possible because they may not be immediately obvious or identifiable. Rescue personnel may be selecting protective measures based on limited information.

In addition to the hazards of direct exposure, workers are also subject to dangers posed by the unstable physical environment, the stress of working in protective clothing, and the emotional trauma of the situation.

The safety of rescue workers on a mission is paramount, being an important resource when they are able yet an additional liability when they are injured during the rescue. The first hazard they face is the massive piles of construction and other types of debris, and unstable work surfaces, which puts them at a risk of serious fall injuries, from slip trips and falls to collapsing materials. The general recommendations for these rescue worker given by NIOSH in terms of protection: To be equipped with slip-resistant soles, cut resistant gloves, eye protection, and hard hats, and fall equipment tied off to suitable anchorage points.

Aware that the resources available to me as a designer are sensors motors, I have decided to design a piece of clothing that protects journeying people from risks of falling while moving through unstable surfaces or prevent some impact from causing harm to their bodies.

 

Inspiration: The Puffer Fish

The puffer fish has a unique natural defense – to morph into an unpalatable ball to its predators – acts as a deterrence to its predators, by lodging in its predator’s throat to cause choking. This defense help compensates for its slow locomotion. Physically, the spherical shape of the ball filled with fluid cushions and protects the internal organs of the fish from damage caused by the predators. In the situation mentioned in the previous section, an inflated coat cushions a person from direct impact during a fall. A fish has to sense danger to trigger its defense mechanisms. A protection suit for a person has to sense oncoming danger for the user when the user is in a risky situation before the user gets himself/herself hurt.

 

Reference:

CDC

The Ultimate Source Survival Handbook

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