University of New South Wales - School of Risk and Safety Sciences

RUGBY UNION INJURY SURVEILLANCE STUDY (RUISS): The aim of this project is to provide assessments of injury risks in a cross section of rugby union football. It is a unique study in sport internationally, as it studies school age players through to the Wallabies, prospectively using the same measures. It now has a strong historical continuity; this is a major advantage as there are seasonal differences that would confound research based on a single season. It commenced in 2000 and has been funded in 2006 for a further three years by the ARU. The research team was invited to study and report on injuries during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. This was published in Br J Sports Med in 2005
THE RUGBY TACKLE STUDY: This study commenced in June 2006 through a grant from the International Rugby Board. The study involves analysis of tackle events from a cross section of rugby with injury as the dependant variable, statistical analysis; and finally, biomechanical examination of the causal factors through modelling and experimental methods.
BIOMECHANICS OF CONCUSSION IN SPORT: With the support since 2004 of a post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Bertrand Frechede, we have recently completed a landmark project studying the dynamics of concussion in sport. This project built upon earlier work (McIntosh et al, MSSE, 2000) and will influence our understanding of human tolerance to head impacts generally, as it fills in a substantial gap in our knowledge regarding concussion. It will provide valuable input into performance specifications for protective headgear in sport.
THE RUGBY HEADGEAR STUDY : The study was completed in 2005. This was a multi-institutional project involving Melbourne University, University of Otago and Monash University. This was a complex three arm randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of headgear using a cluster design. In addition to the measurement of injury and headgear use, video analyses, demographic data, attitudinal data and anthropometric data were collected.
RETURN TO PLAY FOLLOWING MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY : This is a multidisciplinary study of mild traumatic brain injury (mtbi/concussion) in rugby. Prof. Mark Stevenson at the University of Sydney directs the study and there are five research groups from four universities involved in the study (Uni of Pittsburgh, USyd (Georges Institute), UNSW (Safety Science and IRMRC) and Macquarie Uni (Psychology)). The study is examining neuropsychological impairment following mtbi and its resolution. We are following about 1200 players per annum for three years and have commenced the second year of data collection. The study will provide important new knowledge regarding the current management of mtbi in recreational sport and set guidelines for its improvement.
METHOD FOR ANALYSING THE RISK OF INJURY IN YOUNG FEMALE GYMNASTS : Karen Beatty undertook this project for her PhD studies. The aims of this project were to develop methods to obtain knowledge of the magnitude and quantity of impacts experienced by gymnasts in training and competition, consider variability in landing kinematics during different skills, examine the influence of fatigue on landing tasks, investigate whether acceleration is a determinant for fatigue, and develop methods suitable for gymnasts of all ages and competition levels.

PEDAL AND MOTORCYCLE HELMET PROJECT: Pedal cyclists and motorcycle riders are overrepresented in road casualty statistics due to the relatively lower levels of protection afforded to them than other vehicle occupants during a crash. While it is mandatory for riders to wear helmets on our roads, little research has been conducted over the past decade to assess the helmets currently available in the Australian market and their applicability to the road conditions.

This study headed by Assoc. Prof. Andrew McIntosh is funded by ARC Linkage Project LP0669480. Our partners include Australian Transport Safety Bureau, NRMA Motoring & Services, Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW, Transport Accident Commission Victoria, and DVExperts International.

The main objectives of this study are :

Study the conditions of real life crashes;
Determine the extent to which current helmets reduce the risk of injury to wearers; and,
Make recommendations as to how the helmet test standards might be improved in order to provide better protection for wearers.

If you have been involved as a rider in a motorcycle or bicycle accident, and would like to help with our research, we would be very interested in hearing from you, and getting some details from you regarding the accident. If you would like to help us, Please go to this page and fill in the form with your contact details so that we con get in touch with you for more information.

ROLLOVER PROJECT: Rollover crashes result in 340 deaths and 6000 injuries in Australia annually, and 10,000 deaths in the USA per annum. The Rollover Project is a suite of projects funded by ARC DP0663834 and the DROP Trust. The project leader is Assoc. Prof. Grzebieta from Monash University. Our contribution will be to:

investigate mechanisms of head and neck injuries in rollover crashes;
examine the biofidelity of crash test dummies for rollovers,
recommend an appropriate design; and,
develop an occupant injury assessment protocol for rollover tests.

These activities feed into the development of a test method for assessing the crashworthiness of cars in rollovers.

HUMAN FACTORS IN TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

HUMAN FACTORS IN R RAIL SAFETY AND RELIABILITY : This is an ARC Linkage funded project with partners from Railcorp, Victorian Department of Infrastructure and the NSW Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator. The project will examine human factors related to the control and operation of suburban trains and how design and technology can reduce human error and its impacts on safety and reliability.

HUMAN MOVEMENT ANALYSIS AND CLINICAL BIOMECHANICS

THE NSW STATEWIDE CLINICAL MOTINAL ANALYSIS SERVICE : The laboratory works in collaboration with Sydney Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Westmead to provide a clinical motion analysis service to children in NSW. In addition to the routine gait analyses, we have been conducting a suite of projects under the broad topic of clinical biomechanics with a focus on cerebral palsy. These include: the development and application of a protocol for measuring the kinematics of the foot; a study of upper limb motion; pilot testing of the role of functional electrical stimulation in improving gait and upper limb function; and, development of methods for the clinical review of individual cases. Contact Leanne Dwan for more details.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NORMAL AND LOW-ARCHED FEET IN CHILDREN : Dr Dara Twomey undertook this research for the award of PhD. The aim of this project was to investigate foot motion in children and the differences in performance of basic gross motor skills between normal and low arched feet in 9-12 year old children. Static footprints and measurement of dynamic arch height were undertaken in schools, then three-dimensional foot analysis, basic functional tasks, lower limb gait analysis, and strength and proprioception tests were all assessed in the Biomechanics and Gait Laboratory.
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF UPPER LIMB RANGE OF MOTION AND FUNCTIONAL TESTS IN CHILDREN : Leanne Dwan is undertaking this project, for the award of Masters. The aims of this project are to develop a database of normative biomechanical data for a child population, establish testing protocol for other populations, analyse upper limb movement patterns from a biomechanical perspective, and develop task analysis methodology of upper limb movements to assist in the quantification and treatment of movement disorders.
GAIT ANALYSIS ON AN INCLINED WALKWAY : We undertook studies of the gait of young adults, amputees and older subjects using an instrumented inclinable walkway, in the Biomechanics and Gait Laboratory. This research aims to quantify and describe the biomechanics of gait on inclined surfaces, for these three populations. Kinematics, kinetics and EMG were measured for young adult males at 4 different angles of inclination, and then the same protocol used for elderly unilateral transtibial amputees and their age-matched counterparts at a 5-degree inclination.