The Effect of Vibration Exposure During Haul Truck Operation on Grip Strength, Touch Sensation, and Balance

Details

• Personal Author:
  Mayton A ; Pollard J ; Porter W ; Weston E ; Xu X
• Description:
  Falls from mobile equipment are reported at surface mine quarry operations each year in considerable numbers. Research shows that a preponderance of falls occur while getting on/off mobile equipment. Contributing factors to the risk of falls include the usage of ladders, exiting onto a slippery surface, and foot or hand slippage. Balance issues may also contribute to fall risks for mobile equipment operators who are exposed to whole-body vibration (WBV). For this reason, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Office of Mine Safety and Health Research conducted a study at four participating mine sites with seven haul truck operators. The purpose was to ascertain whether WBV and hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposures for quarry haul truck operators were linked to short-term decreases in performance in relation to postural stability, touch sensation threshold, and grip strength that are of crucial importance when getting on/off the trucks. WBV measures of frequency-weighted RMS accelerations (wRMS) and vibration dose value (VDV), when compared to the ISO/ANSI standards, were mostly below levels identified for the Health Guidance Caution Zone (HGCZ), although there were instances where the levels were within and above the specified Exposure Action Value. Comparably, all mean HAV levels, when compared to the ISO/ANSI standards, were below the HGCZ. For the existing conditions and equipment, no significant correlation could be identified between the WBV, HAV, postural stability, touch sensation threshold, and grip strength measures taken during this study. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Mining Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Vibration
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Mining Equipment Operators Fall-protection Falls Grip Strength Hand-arm Vibration Syndrome Haulage Vehicles Haul Trucks HAVS Ingress/Egress Injury-prevention Ladders Mine-workers Mining-equipment Mining-industry Mobile Equipment Postural Stability Posture Quarries Quarry Workers Risk Factors Sensory Thresholds Slips Surface Mining Truck Drivers Vibration Exposure Whole-body/Hand-arm Vibration Whole Body Vibration

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0169-8141
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division ; HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  23-31
• Volume:
  57
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20049009
• Citation:
  Int J Ind Ergon 2017 Jan; 57:23-31
• Contact Point Address:
  Jonisha Pollard, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Pittsburgh Mining Research Division, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, USA
• Email:
  JPollard@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining ; Construction
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:892ec961bcab143770adafe5dd35175d05669cd222497a0cec95360adb40d8a70aa4ff52f85693265deb45e328ac6793b95732c4a633620b656eb02605e0c446
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228309/cdc_228309_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 807.04 KB ]