Whole body vibration (WBV) can harm the spine. Low back pain is a common problem arising from high exposure to whole body vibration.
Typical high risk activities are working on ground moving machines or driving a forklift on damaged or poorly maintained surfaces.
Medical science has not yet found a robust relation between exposure and risk. The EU limits are a political compromise, exposure below the
action value may still be harmful!
Daily exposure action value: A(8) = 0,5 m/s2
Daily exposure limit value: A(8) = 1,15 m/s2
The daily value A(8) is calculated from the day-average highest value of the acceleration in any of the three orthogonal measurement directions.
Long exposure to hand arm vibrations (HAV) can lead to loss of control of the fingers and hand, and eventually to damage of nerves in the hands.
High exposure can be expected when using hydraulic hammers and drills, but all smaller tools can pose a risk when used for long periods.
Daily exposure action value: A(8) = 2,5 m/s2
Daily exposure limit value: A(8) = 5,0 m/s2
The daily value A(8) is calculated from the day-average quadratic (vector) sum of the acceleration in the three orthogonal measurement directions.
A survey at the workplace should be conduced using:
EN- ISO 2631-1 1997: Mechanical Vibration and shock
- Evaluation of human exposure to whole body vibration, part 1 General requirements
EN 14253 2003: Mechanical Vibration
- Measurement and calculation of occupational exposure to whole body vibration with reference to health
- Practical guidance
EN-ISO 5349-1 2001: Mechanical Vibration
- Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration
- part 1: General requirements
EN-ISO 5349-2 2001: Mechanical Vibration
- Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration
- part 2: Practical guidance for measurement at the workplace
We supported the 5th International Conference on Whole Body Vibration Injuries
from June 5th to 7th 2013 in Amsterdam as Silver sponsor.