The Impact of Operating Heavy Equipment Vehicles on Lower Back Disorders

Details

• Personal Author:
  Genaidy A ; Makola M ; Viruet HB ; Waters, Thomas R.
• Description:
  Literature reviews examining the relationship between heavy equipment vehicle (HEV) operation and the development of musculoskeletal disorders have generally been qualitative in nature and have not employed an evidence-based assessment procedure. This research determines the extent to which whole-body vibration/shock and working postures are associated with lower back and neck disorders among HEV operators, while accounting for individual (i.e. age, gender, prior history of back or neck disorders) and occupational (i.e. material handling, climatic conditions, psychosocial factors) confounders. Published articles were obtained from a search of electronic databases and from bibliographies in the identified articles. A critical appraisal of these articles was conducted using an epidemiological appraisal instrument (Genaidy et al. 2007). The meta-analysis was conducted using statistical techniques employing fixed-effect and random-effect models. Eighteen articles reporting observational studies satisfied the inclusion criteria adopted for this research. The methodological qualities of the published studies ranged from marginal to average. The meta-relative risk was found to be 2.21, indicating that operators exposed to driving HEVs are at more than twice the risk of developing lower back pain in comparison to those not exposed to driving HEVs. Therefore, it seems possible that there is a causal relationship between working as a HEV operator and development of lower back disorders. Prospective cohort studies are urgently needed to confirm the outcomes of this evidence-based methodology (based in part on the meta-analysis) and the biological plausibility should be further explored. The reported findings point to a need for improved ergonomic design of HEVs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Vibration
• Keywords:
  Mechanical-properties Motion-studies Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Risk-factors Statistical-analysis Vibration-effects Vibration-exposure Work-analysis Work-operations Work-practices
• ISSN:
  0014-0139
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  51
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20033868
• Citation:
  Ergonomics 2008 May; 51(5):602-636
• Email:
  trwl@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing ; Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Ergonomics
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e63708926e21132e0f361c90a7671c909e7366720bfb04465cdf6efb379d8e796048fb7b2818d3a94ba0242371b8aa9f644964fe10a84379142a99c1a031ab9e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189283/cdc_189283_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 965.93 KB ]