Whole body vibration in snow removal loader operations: do traction chains cause low back pain

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blood R ; Johnson P ; Rynell P
• Description:
  Objective: The goal of this study was to compare whole-body vibration (WBV) exposures between three front-end loader tire conditions. Research has indicated there is a relationship between working as a heavy equipment operator and the development of low back pain. Methods: Using a repeated measures design and a standardized test route, whole body vibration exposures were compared when twelve experienced front-end loader operators drove the same front-end loader with three different tire conditions, 1) stock rubber tires, 2) stock rubber tires with ladder traction chains, and 3) stock rubber tires with basket traction chains. The test route included a segment of driving on paved city streets, a plowing simulation work task, and a snow dump manipulation work task all conducted in the remote city of Valdez, Alaska. The route was designed with input from the operators to simulate a typical day of exposures faced by snow removal loader operators. A tri-axial seat pad accelerometer was mounted on the operator's seat and a second tri-axial accelerometer was securely mounted on the floor of the loader directly adjacent to the seat. A WBV data acquisition system was used to collect raw (raw (+) peak, raw (-) peak, Dk, Sed) and time weighted average (Aw, VDV, TWA peak) tri-axial WBV measurements at the seat and floor. Results: When comparing tire conditions, there were significant differences in WBV exposures with the ladder style chains producing the highest WBV exposures as compared to the stock rubber tire or basket chain conditions. Conclusions: Long-term WBV exposure has been linked to occupationally-related low back pain. When selecting traction devices for front-end loaders it is important that employers consider the associated WBV exposure differences between different types of chains. The results of this study indicate that ladder style chains have significantly higher WBV exposures than basket style chains [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Vibration Workplace
• Keywords:
  Back-injuries Body-mechanics Drivers Equipment-design Equipment-operators Exposure-levels Motor-vehicles Risk-factors Seasonal-activity Seasonal-factors Vibration-effects Vibration-exposure Work-environment Workers

  More +
• Publisher:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  7-8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20046967
• Citation:
  AIHce 2011: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 14-19, 2011, Portland, Oregon. Falls Church, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association, 2011 May; :7-8
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20080901
• Source Full Name:
  AIHce 2011: American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition, May 14-19, 2011, Portland, Oregon
• End Date:
  20130831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6596bbb0cf6d5ed7d5543a0cdddb1860305f6370a58f16514273d71628d08ff53d37c7ce1ac7d3c8e964134c3c8ae583834beb6f0b3d4f66bf97a6dd48fe5941
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/202215/cdc_202215_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 234.23 KB ]