Transmission of vibration through the human body to the head

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Design of digital filters for frequency weightings (A and C) required for risk assessments of workers exposed to noise

Many workers are exposed to noise in their industrial environment. Excessive noise exposure can cause health problems and therefore it is important that the worker’s noise exposure is assessed. This may require measurement by an equipment manufacturer or the employer. Human exposure to noise may be measured using microphones; however, weighting filters are required to correlate the physical noise sound pressure level measurements to the human’s response to an auditory stimulus. IEC 61672-1 and ANSI S1.43 describe suitable weighting filters, but do not explain how to implement them for digitally recorded sound pressure level data. By using the bilinear transform, it is possible to transform the analogue equations given in the standards into digital filters. This paper describes the implementation of the weighting filters as digital IIR (Infinite Impulse Response) filters and provides all the necessary formulae to directly calculate the filter coefficients for any sampling frequency. Thus, the filters in the standards can be implemented in any numerical processing software (such as a spreadsheet or programming language running on a PC, mobile device or embedded system)

The influence of seat backrest angle on perceived discomfort during exposure to vertical whole-body vibration

National and International Standards (e.g. BS 6841 and ISO 2631-1) provide methodologies for the measurement and assessment of whole-body vibration in terms of comfort and health. The EU Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive (PAVD) provides criteria by which vibration magnitudes can be assessed. However, these standards only consider upright seated (90°) and recumbent (0°) backrest angles, and do not provide guidance for semi-recumbent postures. This article reports an experimental programme that investigated the effects of backrest angle on comfort during vertical whole-body vibration. The series of experiments showed that a relationship exists between seat backrest angle, whole-body vibration frequency and perceived levels of discomfort. The recumbent position (0°) was the most uncomfortable and the semi-recumbent positions of 67.5° and 45° were the least uncomfortable. A new set of frequency weighting curves are proposed which use the same topology as the existing BS and ISO standards. These curves could be applied to those exposed to whole-body vibration in semi-recumbent postures to augment the existing standardised methods. Practitioner Summary: Current vibration standards provide guidance for assessing exposures for seated, standing and recumbent positions, but not for semi-recumbent postures. This article reports new experimental data systematically investigating the effect of backrest angle on discomfort experienced. It demonstrates that most discomfort is caused in a recumbent posture and that least was caused in a semi-recumbent posture

The development of an intervention programme to reduce whole-body vibration exposure at work induced by a change in behaviour: a study protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Whole body vibration (WBV) exposure at work is common and studies found evidence that this exposure might cause low back pain (LBP). A recent review concluded there is a lack of evidence of effective strategies to reduce WBV exposure. Most research in this field is focussed on the technical implications, although changing behaviour towards WBV exposure might be promising as well. Therefore, we developed an intervention programme to reduce WBV exposure in a population of drivers with the emphasis on a change in behaviour of driver and employer. The hypothesis is that an effective reduction in WBV exposure, in time, will lead to a reduction in LBP as WBV exposure is a proxy for an increased risk of LBP.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>The intervention programme was developed specifically for the drivers of vibrating vehicles and their employers. The intervention programme will be based on the most important determinants of WBV exposure as track conditions, driving speed, quality of the seat, etc. By increasing knowledge and skills towards changing these determinants, the attitude, social influence and self-efficacy (ASE) of both drivers and employers will be affected having an effect on the level of exposure. We used the well-known ASE model to develop an intervention programme aiming at a change or the intention to change behaviour towards WBV exposure. The developed programme consists of: individual health surveillance, an information brochure, an informative presentation and a report of the performed field measurements.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The study protocol described is advantageous as the intervention program actively tries to change behaviour towards WBV exposure. The near future will show if this intervention program is effective by showing a decrease in WBV exposure.</p

The influence of seat backrest angle on perceived discomfort during exposure to vertical whole-body vibration

This article was published in the journal, Ergonomics [© Taylor & Francis Ltd.] and the definitive version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2012.684889National and International Standards (e.g. BS 6841 and ISO 2631-1) provide methodologies for the measurement and assessment of whole-body vibration in terms of comfort and health. The EU Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive (PAVD) provides criteria by which vibration magnitudes can be assessed. However, these standards only consider upright seated (90°) and recumbent (0°) backrest angles, and do not provide guidance for semi-recumbent postures. This article reports an experimental programme that investigated the effects of backrest angle on comfort during vertical whole-body vibration. The series of experiments showed that a relationship exists between seat backrest angle, whole-body vibration frequency and perceived levels of discomfort. The recumbent position (0°) was the most uncomfortable and the semi-recumbent positions of 67.5° and 45° were the least uncomfortable. A new set of frequency weighting curves are proposed which use the same topology as the existing BS and ISO standards. These curves could be applied to those exposed to whole-body vibration in semi-recumbent postures to augment the existing standardised methods. Practitioner Summary: Current vibration standards provide guidance for assessing exposures for seated, standing and recumbent positions, but not for semi-recumbent postures. This article reports new experimental data systematically investigating the effect of backrest angle on discomfort experienced. It demonstrates that most discomfort is caused in a recumbent posture and that least was caused in a semi-recumbent posture

Use of seating to control exposures to whole-body vibration

In 100 vehicles, 67 conventional seats and 33 suspension seats were tested to determine the benefits that might be obtained by changing seats in the vehicles. Acceleration was measured on the floor and on the seat of 14 categories of vehicles (cars, vans, lift trucks, lorries, tractors, buses, dumpers, excavators, helicopters, armoured vehicles, mobile cranes, grass rollers, mowers and milk floats). Seat Transmissibilities and SEAT values were determined for all seats. This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy