New, Inexpensive Methods Monitor Off-Road Vibration Exposure

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kim B ; Mayton, Alan G.
• Description:
  Cumulative exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) adversely impacts the health and safety of exposed mine workers. Mining equipment-induced vibration depends on factors such as equipment type, task and operator skill. Generally, it is time-variant and widely broadband in frequency content. Exposure to such vibration can also cause fatigue or reduce fine motor skills. Moreover, WBV may contribute to the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the spine among exposed workers. Off-road mining equipment operating on rough surfaces under harsh conditions can produce WBV and mechanical-shock exposure to equipment operators. Until recently, the only methods to measure WBV were through expensive vibration measurement systems that may cost $4,000 to $50,000 or more and require significant technical expertise to analyze the data and arrive at meaningful results. University of Queensland researchers have investigated the use of a personal electronic device as a means for providing an uncomplicated and economical method to estimate WBV exposure in a mining environment. The whole-body vibration measurement application (WBV app) uses the built-in triaxial accelerometer of an iPod touch (model A1509, iOS version 9.3.5) to collect acceleration data and calculate frequency-weighted estimates of WBV exposure. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently conducted a study focusing on the measurement accuracy of the WBV app. The NIOSH field study involved data collection for 13 mobile machines (seven front-end wheel loaders and six haul trucks) operating at one sandstone mine and three limestone mines in central and southwestern Pennsylvania and northern Virginia. A major objective of the NIOSH research study was to assess the accuracy of the WBV app and determine if it can be a useful low-cost tool for monitoring WBV exposure on mobile mine and quarry equipment. Through field evaluations, the exposure levels measured with the WBV app collected with an iPod touch device were compared to exposure levels measured simultaneously with the Siemens/LMS SCADAS data recording system. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mining Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Vibration
• Keywords:
  Cumulative Trauma Miners Mine Workers Mining Equipment Mining Industry Monitoring Systems Monitors MSD Musculoskeletal System Disorders Spinal Cord Spinal Cord Disorders Whole Body Vibration

  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0095-8948
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  42-45
• Volume:
  219
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054623
• Citation:
  Eng Min J 2018 May; 219(5):42-45
• Email:
  anm9@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Engineering and Mining Journal
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4675fca30e0a115fbd3915d372a1133cfd1139603c9f792925d59869616ad40cc1d923cb110fdf66982dca95adaa56a954dbf9c715b3dd17ac181a5ed37e8088
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227821/cdc_227821_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.41 MB ]