The H-Surv™ System
Injury Prevention
There are many anecdotal reports of acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries to HSC crew and passengers. Some of these have been reported and suggest that HSC occupants are at an increased risk of injury:
- Ensign, W., Hodgdon, J., Prusaczyk, W.K., Ahlers, S, Shapiro, D., and Lipton, M. (2000), A survey of self-reported injuries among special boat operators; US Naval Health Research Centre, Tech Report 00-48.
- Carvalhais, A. (2004) Incidence and severity of injury to surf boat operators. Conference Proceedings 75th SAVIAC Conference, Virginia Beach, VA. October 2004.
- Smith, G. (2007) CASE STUDY; Vertebral wedge fracture after speedboat ‘splash down’. J Royal Navy Medical Service; 93(2):75-7.
This increased risk of injury requires that HSC operators and employers demonstrate their Duty-of-Care to minimise the risk of injury. This is advantageous for employers as it reduces the risk of injury and in-turn the cost of:
- Working days lost.
- Medical/physiotherapy treatments.
- Compensation.
- Medical discharge/pension.
Effective injury prevention requires comprehensive information on the risk factors, injury mechanisms, numbers of injuries and importantly injury precursors. The H-SURV™ System helps to provide this information to develop effective injury prevention measures.
HSC design guidance for reducing the risk of injury can be found at www.highspeedcraft.org