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Symposium on Wheelchair
Safety and Standards Monitoring
THE
COLLEGE OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING’s
NATIONAL
COMMITTEE ON REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
Download the flyer for
the latest Symposium here!
Rehabilitation Engineers monitoring Wheelchair Standards, Safety,
Failure and maintenance.
Introduction:
The Assistive Technology industry in Australia has been developing a
range
of products for domestic and international use over many years.
Australia
has also adopted a range of national standards (often drawn from ISO
standards)
to set benchmarks for rehabilitation and assistive technology
manufacture.
To date most of these standards are implemented through a “type
testing”
arrangement that is voluntary. Some funding schemes have chosen
to
make compliance with relevant Australian Standards mandatory for
inclusion
on their list of approved products.
An area of growing concern for both professionals working in the
field
and consumers who use this technology, is both consistency of product
and
adequate rectification when systemic or in-built faults are detected in
a particular product model or system. There are documented cases
of sudden failure of the back-canes of a manual wheelchair and of
potential
dangers to occupants of fire within components of a power
wheelchair.
The government focus as a result of the Victorian Task Force into
Wheelchair
Accidents at Railway Level Crossings even suggests some believe that
flaws
in design and/or manufacture may have contributed to the deaths of
wheelchair
users in level crossing accidents – a matter unsubstantiated in the
report
itself.
Aim:
The National
Committee on Rehabilitation Engineering is a Committee of Engineers
Australia (formerly - The Institution of Engineers, Australia) and
brings together the rehabilitation engineers
nationally. All Rehabilitation Engineering Centres are
represented
on the Committee. The Committee is seeking to bring together the
key stakeholders in the assistive technology industry, together with
users,
to seek to identify the weaknesses and strengths of the current
assistive
technology manufacture/importation systems. It is the Committee’s
aim to investigate the implications and potential benefits of
“Standard’s
Mark” testing and a system of technology incident logging and recall as
required (similar to the Prosthetic and Orthotic databases - TechGUIDE
coordinated by RehabTech, or the more stringent durable medical device
protocols administered by the Therapeutic
Goods Administration (TGA)).
The NCRE is keen to make the information shared during these
Symposia
available to others in the sector and involve them wherever
possible.
A videoconference connection to Western Australia was included.
Please
contact Nina Lenz
for further
information about the symposium. (A consumer representative had not
been
finalised in time and the NCRE is especially keen for consumer input).
Engineers Australia and NCRE have subsidised the cost of these
symposia to keep costs reasonable in order to encourage broad
participation.
Symposia
content
- The Standards and Regulatory environment; what is
currently happening and what problems are we experiencing?
- Trends in Wheelchair
Safety and Standards monitoring
- Incidents,
failures and fleet maintenance - investigating and monitoring
- Wheelchair
design and related Transport Issues
- Clinical Measurement:
What are the numbers? and What do they mean?
Further Information and Resources
Discussion forum
Device amanagement System
1st National Symposium -
The Standards and Regulatory environment; what is currently happening
and what problems are we experiencing?
Dates:
28th and 29th November 2002
Venue:
RehabTech, Monash Rehabilitation Technology
Research Unit,
Venue: 2nd Floor Feathers Block, Caulfield General
Medical
Centre, Victoria
Program
List of presentations:
Overview of Problems being experienced
Regulation of AT & Rehabilitation Technology
Dealing with the problems – Product Improvement and
Safety
Panel discussion of issues of
warranty,
liability when equipment is modified, customised, etc to suit the
equipment
use followed. Challenges of ancillary components. Panel: Robert
Bingham, Bill Contoyannis, Ian Mortimer, Mike Flood, Consumer
Representative,
Standards Australia Representative
WORKSHOP
Establish guidelines for workshop -
Lloyd Walker (facilitator)
Workshop an effective approach to
AT
and rehabilitation technology standards implementation and delivery.
Propose
realistic performance criteria for monitoring and rectification.
The
key discussion and action points that were written down at the workshop
can be found here! (.pdf -14K)
Develop the key criteria for a
system
to facilitate information return to manufacturers and clients about AT
device issues and their rectification.
(A
discussion forum to assist this is located here! Please use only
Internet
Explorer)
Suggest/structure task group(s),
reference
group to lead the implementation of recommendations.
2nd National Symposium on Trends in
Wheelchair Safety
& Standards Monitoring
Date: Monday 16th February 2004
Venue:
REHAB Tech, Dept of Electrical and Computer Suystems
Engineering, Monash University, Clalyton, Melbourne
PROGRAM
Lloyd Walker
-
Introduction & Review of 2002 Symposium outcomes & achievements
to date
Robert
Bingham
& Alex Svistounov - Incidents & Problems being experienced:
-
Case Examples – Mechanical failure,
electrical failure, system (communication) failure.
Discussion to be lead by Mr Bingham & Mr
Svistounov with input/examples of incidents requested from forum
attendees.
Failures in testing
10.45am –
11.30am
Lloyd Walker
Standards: ISO
& AS emerging TGA
11.30am –
12.30pm
Lloyd Walker
& Bill Contoyannis - Management & Information Systems:
1.30pm –
2.15pm
David Hobbs,
Gilbert Logan & Bill Contoyannis - Innovation in Wheelchair Design
Forum
participants should also feel free to contribute ideas to this
discussion.
2.15pm –
3.00pm
Dynamic
Balancing:
Lloyd
Walker - iBot 3000
Michael
Mote – Segway - Demonstration & Forum Participant trials
.....and some more general iBOT and Segway information here
Framework for
Wheelchair Safety Monitoring
Forum
discussion lead by Lloyd Walker on the need for/development of an
AssistTech
Guide, incident/event & problem reporting and minimum information
data sets
that the “Industry” would either like to see in place or can contribute.
3rd
National Symposium
The
Symposium on Wheelchair
Safety and Standards Monitoring - Incidents, failures and fleet
maintenance - investigating and
monitoring
Date: Friday, 11 February 2005
Venue: The Hawken Auditorium
Engineers Australia QLD Division Office
447 Upper Edward Street, Brisbane
Program :
1. Structural, mechanical and electrical incidents that render
wheelchairs unsafe and
unserviceable for the user. Through case studies, experienced
practitioners will
examine incidents, analyse causation, explain relevant theory and
present practical
solutions to reduce wheelchair downtime caused by structural failures
and breakdowns.
2. Service and repair practices: what should be happening to keep
wheelchairs
functioning safely and efficiently?
3. What value is there in performance monitoring?
4. Standards for wheelchairs, what is happening internationally and
nationally?
5. Update on a national scheme to report hazard/safety issues in
wheeled mobility
devices.
David
Hobbs and Alex Svistounov
- The
thinking (concepts) behind the creation and development of wheelchair
standards.
- Application
and interpretation of wheelchair standards – what does a standard and
results of testing mean to a wheelchair purchaser.
- Relationship
between a standards test and real life experience – do current
wheelchair standards replicate wheelchair use, predict performance over
the life-span and indicate the service life?
- How
realistic is the match of compliance of the test wheelchair with the
manufacturer’s on-going production?
Peter Slattery
- Common
problems in the early life of the wheelchair.
- Incidence
of catastrophic failure – causation, did the testing to a standard
predict it could happen? What happened during production to cause it?
- Is
maintenance / service worthwhile in preventing failures?
Robert
Bingham
- To do
with tyres.
- What
happens to flexible materials in wheelchairs? How long does upholstery,
armrest padding, seat cushions, etc last? Is this in the mind of
funding bodies?
- Is
ongoing maintenance / service effective in reducing age-related failure?
- Case studies from attendees
- Attendees asked to bring example (physical or
discussion ) of problems they have had
Bill Contoyannis and Emma Tickle
- How long should a wheelchair service
life be and what are the determinants? (Safety, maintainability)
- Economic and
safety issues for wheelchair fleet owners.
- Logistics of fleet management
- Recycling older wheelchairs.
- Disposing of wheelchairs, are there
issues to be aware of?
- Incident monitoring and alerting
- Quality Management – maybe touch on TGA
- Administrative issues for funding part ownership and management-
Fleet management
- Risk management – do we keep it going
Assist
Technology 1990:2 117-123 - International Wheelchair costs: A study of
costs ands benefits, Hartridge, M. Seeger, B.
Lloyd
Walker
- Collecting real world data about
wheelchair use and wheelchair users to assist designers, testers and
manufacturers of wheelchairs.
- What features can users expect to see
in next generation wheelchairs.
- Where to find information on
wheelchair research.
- Where to find information on
wheelchair performance and failure issues in Australia.
4th National Symposium - “Wheelchair
Design and related
Transport issues”
Date & Time:
Friday,
21 July, 2006, 10am – 5pm.
Venue:
Marriot Hotel
Parramatta, NSW and RTA Crashlab facility
List of particpants
10.05 – 10.45am
New Safety
Standards for Transporting Wheelchairs
Video
of crash test used in presentation (2.5Mb - mpg)
Robert Bingham – Royal Perth
Hospital
11.00 – 11.45am
The Challenge
of Transporting Chairs in Planes
Presentation currently unavailable
however useful information is available
here
John
Cree, Ed McGregor – Qantas
11.45 – 12.10pm
Wheelchairs
and the consideration of related infrastructure issues
- Details of brochures and information for accessible transport
that were discussed are here.
- Details of the Wheelchair railway safety taskforce are here
Bill Contoyannis –
RehabTech
12.10 – 12.40pm
Creative
approaches to resolving transport hurdles
Lloyd Walker – NovitaTech
1.00 – 2.00pm
Exploration
of the latest issues of Wheelchair use in Trains, Buses &
Automobiles
Group Discussion
Showcase
of the
developing NCRE AssistTechGuide Forum website
Bill Contoyannis -
RehabTech
2.00 – 4.30pm
Site
visit to the RTA
Crashlab
Ross Dal Nevo – RTA
Crashlab
4:30 – 5.00pm
Exploration
of the latest issues of Wheelchair use in Trains, Buses &
Automobiles
Group Discussion
Other Resources discussed during the symposium
5th National Symposium
- Clinical Measurement: What are the numbers? and What do they mean?
Date & Time: Wednesday, 25
July, 2007, 10am – 5pm.
Location: Royal Brisbane Women & Children’s Hospital Education
Centre
Bowen Bridge Road, Herston, Qld.
Clinical Measurement
Protocols applied to….The Wheelchair (or device)
David Hobbs – NovitaTech, SA
Bill Contoyannis – RehabTech, VIC
Clinical Measurement
Protocols applied to…The Patient
Emma Friesen – Assistive Technology & Seating @ NSW
Health,
Measuring Physiological
Parameters - discussion
Respiratory Function
- Robert Bingham – Royal Perth
Hospital, WA
Bill Contoyannis – RehabTech VIC
Clinical Measurement
Protocols applied to…The Patient IN the Wheelchair (or Device)
Emma Friesen – Assistive Technology & Seating @ NSW
Health
Robert Bingham – Royal Perth
Hospital, WA & Bill Contoyannis – RehabTech, VIC
Robert Bingham – Royal Perth
Hospital, WA
Peter Slattery – REC @ RBWH
Research and Quality Practice
Review
Lloyd Walker – NovitaTech
