Improving United States military chemical defense equipment through application of Human Factors Engineering

The United States Military is concerned with the survival of its members in a chemically or biologically contaminated environment. To operate in such an atmosphere, service members utilize chemical defense equipment to protect themselves from liquid and vapor hazards. The equipment is encumbering and causes those wearing it to function less efficiently than normal. The purpose of this thesis is to gain a thorough understanding of and evaluate the United States military's chemical defense equipment relative to accepted Human Factors Engineering (HFE) practices and recommend improvements for the equipment. An exposure to the evolution of warfare using weapons of mass destruction and the United States Army's Chemical doctrine is also included. The concentration of this approach is on personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically protective masks, protective clothing, gloves and boots. Analysis of military anthropometrical data and the methods by which this data is obtained is included in this study.