Whole body vibration exposure transmitted to drivers of heavy equipment vehicles: a comparative case according to the short- and long-term exposure assessment methodologies defined in ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5

Abstract

The construction and transport sectors are the industries with the highest proportions of workers exposed to vibrations in the European Union. Heavy equipment vehicle (HEV) drivers often perform operations on different uneven surfaces and are exposed to whole body vibration (WBV) on a daily basis. Recently, a new version of ISO 2631-5 was published. However, since this new method required as input the individual exposure profile and the acceleration signals recorded on more surfaces, limited studies have been carried out to evaluate HEV operations according to this standard. The objectives of this study were to assess the WBV exposure using the methods defined in ISO 2631-1:1997 and ISO 2631-5:2018 and to compare the obtained health risk assessments between drivers with different anthropometric characteristics. For this purpose, two drivers were selected and a field measurement campaign was conducted. Regarding short-term assessment, results showed that VDV was the most restrictive method with exposure levels above the exposure action limit value, while SAd indicated that the same exposures were safe for the worker. With respect to long-term assessment, Risk Factor RA showed that the driver with the highest body mass index was the only one who exceeded the low probability limit of adverse health effects.