Development of sizing systems for protective clothing for the adult male.

The aim of the study was to obtain comprehensive anthropometric data from which to develop a sizing system appropriate for inclusion in specifications for protective clothing; and for purchases of other selected equipment. Fifty-five body dimensions on a male sample of the New Zealand Fire Services (n = 691, approximately 7% of employees) were obtained by direct measurement. Descriptive statistics and selected percentiles (5th, 50th, 95th) are given. The body dimensions accounting for most of the variance in the data were established by factor analysis and are reported here. Size groups for various body sections based on the relevant measurements of that section were established by cluster analysis around a control variable.