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Employees who regularly drive forklifts, trucks, buses, tractors, and heavy equipment or who stand where the floor is vibrating from heavy machinery may be exposed to the damaging effects of whole-body vibration (WBV). Affecting over 6 million U.S. workers, WBV has been linked to a variety of low back disorders. WBV can also affect vision, and cause fatigue and motion sickness.
WBV is transmitted through the thighs and buttocks to the entire body from a vehicle seat, or through the feet and legs from a vibrating floor. The risk of injury depends on the magnitude, frequency, and direction of the vibration, as well as the duration of exposure. Vehicles often vibrate at a frequency where human resonance occurs (4-8 Hertz), which means the body amplifies the vibration, making it particularly hazardous.
National and international organizations – the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the International Standards Organization (ISO), and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) – have developed standards and threshold limit values (TLVs) for measuring and quantifying vibration. The standards are fairly complex and companies wishing to measure vibration levels would be advised to seek the assistance of a vibration expert. Alternatively, the simplest and safest thing to do is to assume that workers are at risk if they regularly operate vehicles and machinery for most of their workday.
Resources (note that the regulations mentioned in these British resources do not apply to U.S. workplaces, but the documents do serve as useful guidelines):
Revised: 04/2017