Vibration health risks

Power tools How to reduce vibration health risks, INDG 338, 2001, HSE Books ISBN 0 7176 2008 5... 

As a supplement to R2.2.1766-03, specific recommendations are planned on methods and criteria assessment (scales, models, etc) of workers health (morbidity, mortality, etc), workplace factors (noise, vibration, dust, chemicals, etc), work load (physical load nervous tension), and reproductive health risk assessment. Relevant data have been published in handbook on occupational risk (Izmerov Denisov, 2003). 

Despite the best precautions, long term health risks cannot be eliminated. Exposure to the daily operation of vibrating chiseling tools and inhalation of fine particulates will have long term health effects. Designers should give this matter due consideration before specifying this foundation system. 

Figure 23-8. Health risks from whole body vibrations from vehicles. Refer to the source for additional implementing details. (FromMIL-STD- 1472G)...

Health risks from hand-arm vibration Advice for employers on the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, INDG175(rev2), 2005, HSE Books ISBN 0 7176 6117 2... 

Figure 17.3 From INDG175 REV1 Health Risks from Hand-Arm Vibration (HSE Books 1998) ISBN 0717615537.

The last decade has seen considerable legislation directed both at reducing the health risks from work activities and at improving the health of employees and others who may be affected by the organisation s operations. The prevention of occupational diseases and conditions through control over hazardous substances, asbestos, noise and vibration, environmental and... 

V rokannas, H., H. Anttonen, and J. Niskanen. Health Risk Assessment of Noise, Hand-Arm "Vibration and Cold in Railway Track Maintenance. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 13, no. 3 (1994) 247-252. 

The latest requirements in health and safety and construction design in the United Kingdom and other countries require the minimization of the use of tools with high vibration due to the risk of vibration white finger to operatives. 

These Regulations are designed to protect persons from the risk to their health and safety of the effects of exposure to vibration. There are two types of vibration, hand-arm vibration (HAV) and whole-body... 

The exposure limit value (ELV) is the maximum amount of vibration an employee may be exposed to on any single day. It represents a high risk above which employees should not be exposed. Daily ELV is 5m/s Health and safety surveillance, information and training must be provided by the employers. 

Risk of Injury. Exposures to vibration magnitudes between the flireshold for perception and that for health effects commonly occur in daily life. Near-daily exposures to values of nwA <8> in excess of those estimated to result in 5 to 10% injury in Table 10.2 occur in numerous occupations (involving some 8 million persons in die United States) and lead to the symptoms described in Sec. 10.1.2. 

These Regulations are designed to protect persons from the risk to their health and safety of the effects of exposure to vibration. There are two types of vibration, hand-arm vibration (HAV) and whole-body vibration. Regular and frequent exposure to HAV can lead to permanent health effects. This is most likely when contact with a vibrating tool or work process is a regular part of a person s job. Too much exposure to HAV can cause hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). HAVS affects the nerves, blood vessels, muscles and joints of the hand, wrist and arm. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a nerve disorder which may involve pain, tingling, numbness and weakness in parts of the hand. 

Organizations have been encouraged for many years to employ workers with disabilities and to ensure that their premises provide suitable access for such people. From a health and safety point of view, it is important that workers with a disability are covered by special risk assessments so that appropriate controls are in place to protect them. For example, employees with a hearing problem will need to be warned when the fire alarm sounds or a fork lift truck approaches. Special vibrating signals or flashing lights may be used. Similarly workers in wheelchairs will require a clear, wheelchair friendly, route to a fire exit and onwards to the assembly point. Safe systems of work and welfare facilities need to be suitable for any workers with disabilities. 

The Guidance (LI 40) gives very useful advice on the measurement of vibrations, undertaking a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, control measures, health... 

Assessment of risk to health created by vibration at the workplace - Regulation 5... 

Account must be taken of any employee whose health is likely to be particularly at risk from vibration. 

The exposure to WBV occurs when a person are exposed to head-to-toe vibration (Wasserman 2001). Samples of occupational exposure to WBV include tmck, bus, heavy equipment, forkhft, and farm vehicle drivers, train engineers and conductors, hehcop-ter and fixed-wing aircraft pilots and ship personnel. The WBV exposure represents a loss and a high risk to the professional environment and can influence the health and safety of the persons exposed (Griffin 1990 Seidel Griffin 2001 Brammer 2010). 

European Commission, 2002. Directive 2002/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002 on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (vibration). 

Ergonomics is a field which seeks to adapt the work to men, considering psychosocial aspects, and one of the study focuses is the identification of the risks that may jeopardize the health of the workers. Considering the physical risks, the noises are present in many work activities, and the professionals in turn are being poorly oriented on the levels to which they are exposed and how to take preventive measures. The sound is considered a complex mixture of different vibrations, and it can be measured on a logarithmic scale whose unit is the decibel (dB). The level of discomfort depends on the level of intensity of the noise, which can interfere directly in the execution of the job and cause irreversible damage to the workers (lida 2005). 

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSD) are an individual, organizational and social problem with high costs (Putz-Anderson et al., 1997). They are a common health problem and a leading cause of disability in the European Union (David et al, 2008, Schneider Irastorza, 2010), as well as in many industrialized countries (Westgaard Winkel, 991). The adoption of extreme postures, the repetition of movements, the force exerted, and the exposure to vibration and extreme temperatures are often pointed out as the main risk factors for the development of WRMSD (Putz-Anderson et al, 1997, Punnett Wegman, 2004, Larsson et al, 2007). 

It is world-wide accepted that discomfort, reduced work efficiency and health impairments are problems found among professionals repeatedly exposed to Whole-Body Vibrations (WBV) (Melo Miguel, 2000 Bernardo, et al., 2014). The risk depends on its intensity and duration. Several standards define procedures for measurement and evaluation of Whole-Body Vibration (WBV), providing limit values and action levels . However, there are no studies demonstrating what is the dose of WBV that can cause any specific disorder related to the magnitude, frequency, direction and duration of vibration exposure (Griffin, 2004). 

Which involve harmful exposure to agents which chronically affect human health >- Involving harmful exposure to radiation >- Which pose a risk from extreme heat or cold, noise, or vibration. 

Where there is a risk to health from extreme heat or cold, noise or vibration. 

Risk assessments will identify circumstances where health surveillance will be appropriate. Legal requirements for such surveillance extend beyond exposure to substances hazardous to health. Generally, there will be a need if there is an identifiable disease or health condition related to the work, there is a valid technique for its identification, there is a likelihood that the disease or condition may occur as a result of the work, and the surveillance will protect further the health of employees. Examples where these conditions may apply are vibration white finger and forms of work-related upper limb disorders (WRULDs). 

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