Analysis of Human Injuries in Low-Height Falls

This study examines injuries sustained by workers falling from a height of two meters or less through both impact simulations and human dummy experiments. A standard American male human body model was used to simulate falls from stairs or ladders. For the simulations, we employed LS-DYNA, a finite element method (FEM) software, along with the Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS), developed by Toyota Motors, as the human body finite element (FE) model. Additionally, we conducted experiments using a HYBRID III pedestrian dummy model to validate the findings. Injury severity was evaluated using the Head Injury Criterion (HIC), considering various factors such as fall angle, fall height, body posture, and the presence or absence of a protective helmet. A protective helmet was also incorporated to assess its effectiveness in mitigating injuries. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in HIC values when a helmet was worn, underscoring the crucial role of helmets in preventing severe head injuries in low-height falls. These findings emphasize the importance of protective headgear in workplace safety.