Comparing Health Risks to Load-Haul-Dump Vehicle Operators Exposed to Whole-Body Vibration Using EU Directive 2002/44EC, ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5

Abstract

Abstract:The purpose of this study was to evaluate health risks to operators of large and small load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicles exposed to whole-body vibration (WBV), based on criteria established in ISO 2631-1, ISO 2631-5, and EU Directive 2002/44 EC. Studies simultaneously evaluating health risks based on all three standards are limited. Operator WBV exposure was measured in accordance with ISO 2631-1 using a tri-axial seat pad accelerometer. According to ISO 2631-1, four of the seven large LHD vehicle operators and three of six small LHD vehicle operators were exposed to WBV above the 8-hour vibration dose value (VDV) health guidance caution zone (HGCZ). According to the EU Directive 2002/44/EC criteria one of the seven large LHD vehicle operators and one of the six small LHD vehicle operators were exposed to WBV above the VDV daily exposure limit. However, health risks predicted by ISO 2631-5 criteria only placed one of seven large LHD vehicle operators and one of the six small LHD vehicle operators in the high probability of an adverse health effect category. Thus, the probability of adverse health effects, associated with WBV exposure during LHD vehicle operation, is suggested to be greatest based on the ISO 2631-1 8-hour VDV HGCZ and lowest based on ISO 2631-5 S ed criterion values.

PrevaPrevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among heavy earth moving machinery operators exposed to whole-body vibration in opencast mininglence of musculoskeletal disorders among heavy earth moving machinery operators exposed to whole-body vibration in opencast mining

“…3,11 ISO 2631-1:1997 have been the most widely used tool for health risk prediction arising out of WBV exposure. 12,13 This standard cites several years as the period required to develop such health disorders (ISO, 1997). Since no dose-response relationship has been established till date between exposure to WBV and onset of MSD, a period of five years of occupational exposure to WBV was adopted as necessary inclusion criteria.…”

Optimizing seat selection for LHDs in the underground mining environment

“…For the current study, we implemented each of our robust seat models to predict the daily 8-hour equivalent frequencyweighted accelerations (ISO 2631-1, 1997), A(8), for ten LHD vehicles from our library (Dickey, Eger, and Oliver, 2010) of previously reported field data (Eger, Kociolek, and Dickey, 2013) (Table I). The ISO 2631-1 W d and W k filters were used to process the horizontal (x-and y-axis) and the vertical (z-axis) chassis acceleration data collected from the mining workplace measurements respectively.…”

“…Operators of heavy mobile machinery in the underground mining environment are subjected to large vibrations (Eger, Kociolek, and Dickey, 2013;Kumar, 2004;van Niekerk, Heyns, and Heyms, 2000). Seat selection is an important factor for reducing drivers' exposure to vibration (Gunaselvam and van Niekerk, 2005), but it is difficult to identify optimal seats due to the complexity of the seats' performance.…”

Managing whole-body vibration at surface and underground coal mines

“…Inconsistencies have been highlighted both within ISO2631.1 (1997) and between ISO2631.1 (1997) and other whole-body vibration measurement standards (Paddan and Griffin, 2002;Griffin, 2004;Eger et al, 2006;Burgess-Limerick, 2012;Eger et al, 2013). Paddan and Griffin (2002) noted inconsistencies between ISO2631.1 and British…”