Comparison of whole-body vibration exposures in buses: effects and interactions of bus and seat design

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hagberg M ; Johnson PW ; Jonsson PMG ; Rynell PW
• Description:
  Bus and seat design may be important for the drivers' whole-body vibration (WBV). WBV exposures in buses during actual operation were assessed. WBV attenuation performance between an air-suspension seat and a static pedestal seat in low-floor buses was compared; there were no differences in WBV attenuation between the seats. Air-suspension seat performance in a high-floor and low-floor bus was compared. Relative to the pedestal seat with its relatively static, limited travel seat suspension, the air-suspension seat with its dynamic, longer travel suspension provided little additional benefit. Relative to the measurement collected at the bus floor, the air-suspension seat amplified the WBV exposures in the high-floor bus. All WBV exposures were below European Union (EU) daily exposure action values. The EU Vibration Directive only allows the predominant axis of vibration exposure to be evaluated but a tri-axial vector sum exposure may be more representative of the actual health risks. Practitioner Summary: Low back pain is common in bus drivers and studies have shown a relationship with whole body vibration. Relative to a pedestal seat with its limited travel seat suspension, the air-suspension seat with its longer travel suspension provided little additional benefit. Exposures were below European Union daily exposure action values. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Environmental Monitoring Ergonomics Men Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Transportation Vibration Women

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: SEAT Back-injuries Bus-drivers Drivers Employee-exposure Equipment-design European Vibration Directive Exposure-assessment Humans ISO 2631-1 Low Back Pain Motor-vehicles Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Seat Effective Amplitude Transmissibility Testing-equipment Transportation-workers Vibration-exposure Vibration-suppressors WBV

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• ISSN:
  0014-0139
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  58
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045168
• Citation:
  Ergonomics 2015 Jul; 58(7):1133-1142
• Contact Point Address:
  Per M.G. Jonsson, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Academy, Goteborg University, Goteborg, Sweden
• Email:
  per.jonsson@amm.gu.se
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2015
• NORA Priority Area:
  Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Ergonomics
• End Date:
  20130831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1cb4079fc93714e3e08375272e8709f1a5f295824ede02a2fa4eea6a8a445c78081455efa0d0244dc546d8d6168cb6229cb3c43afe41d5d55375db2f1c88f96e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/200684/cdc_200684_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 423.38 KB ]