Workers in the chemical industry are often required to wear protective suits while performing tasks.
While these suits can be life saving, they increase the difficulty and discomfort faced by the wearer. This
research explores the performance of individuals wearing the highly cumbersome Level A suit. The suits
are heat-retentive and can cause fatigue that affects performance by increasing response time and
decreasing accuracy. Members of Missouri’s Civil Support Team (CST) served as subjects for this research.
They conducted fine and gross motor tests. Their completion time and accuracy were evaluated both outof-
suit and in-suit for the Level A chemical protective suits.