United States (U.S.) Navy sailors are exposed to a very large number of hazards, both chemical and physical. Occupational vibration from pneumatic air tools is one of the potential exposure hazards. There are very limited data as to the exposures to one type of tool, a needle gun or needle scaler, used by the sailors.The purpose of this study was to characterize the vibration levels generated by a needle gun used in the U.S. Navy. The design of the study evaluated the difference pressure had on the acceleration levels generated from the needle scaler. Five subjects were used in the evaluation of the tool. Each subject was required to hold the tool for twenty seconds activated without contact and activated on a surface and at two different pressures, 60 and 80 pound per square inch (psi). Each subject repeated each of the conditions three times for a total of 12 measurements. Each subject was also required to hold the tool in hand without the tool activated. The measurements were collected from an accelerometer on the needle gun following ISO 5349-1:2001 and ISO 5349-2:2001 methods. Significant differences were observed individually in pressure (p<0.0001), contact (p<0.0001)), and subjects (p<0.001). In addition, there was a significant interaction between contact and pressure (p<0.001). It was concluded that U.S. Navy sailors are not likely at significant risk to Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome for lifetime exposures to hand transmitted vibration.

Introduction: Occupational drivers of terrain vehicles are exposed to several risk factors associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in the lower back as well as in the neck and upper limbs. Vibration has been suggested to be a main risk factor. These drivers are exposed to both whole-body vibration (WBV) and hand-arm vibration (HAV). Aim: This study establishes the association between driving terrain vehicles and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the neck and upper limbs as well as hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). In addition, this study examines the effect on muscles in the neck and upper limbs of the type of vibration exposure that occurs in occupational driving of terrain vehicles. Methods and results: In Paper I, a cross-sectional questionnaire study on occupational drivers of terrain vehicles, increased Prevalence Odds Ratios (POR) were found for numbness, sensation of cold and white fingers (POR 1.5-3.9) and for MSDs in the neck (POR 2.1-3.9), shoulder (POR 1.8-2.6) and wrist (POR 1.7-2.6). For the shoulders, neck and elbow, there appears to be a pattern of increased odds with increasing exposure time. In Paper II, an experimental study on the trapezius muscle, which included 20 men and 17 women, the mean frequency of the electromyography signal (EMGMNF) decreased significantly more in a three minute sub-maximal contraction without vibration (-3.71Hz and -4.37Hz) compared to with induced vibration (-3.54Hz and -1.48Hz). In Paper III, a higher initial increase of the mean of the root-mean-square of the electromyography signal (EMGRMS) was seen in a three minute sub-maximal contraction with vibration exposure compared to without vibration (0.096% vs. 0.045%). There was a larger mean EMGMNF decrease for NV compared to V in the total three minutes, and a larger decrease also in the first time period was seen for the NV compared to V. A small gender effect was also noticed. In Paper IV, the combination of HAV and WBV was studied in laboratory settings and resulted in a higher trapezius EMGRMS compared to the HAV and WBV separately. Conclusion: Occupational drivers of terrain vehicles are likely to experience symptoms related to HAVS and musculoskeletal symptoms in the neck and upper limbs. Local vibration does not seem to have any negative acute effects on trapezius muscle fatigue. Vibration exposure seems to cause an initial increase in muscle activity in the trapezius that could be related to recruitment on new motor-units. A combination of HAV and WBV causes a larger muscular demand on the trapezius muscle.

Hearing loss from noise exposure is one of the most common occupational injuries, and exposure to vibrations may increase the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. Earlier cross-sectional and longitudinal studies found an increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss among workers with vibration-induced white fingers (VWF) symptoms compared to workers without such symptoms. It has been suggested that vibrations to the hand stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and cause vasoconstriction in both the exposed hand and the ears and that this contributes to noise-induced hearing loss. The overall aim of this thesis was to examine how hand-arm vibrations (HAV) interact with noise in the development of noise-induced hearing loss. The experimental study in this thesis examined the effects of HAV and noise, both separately and combined, on the temporary threshold shift (TTS) in hearing in 22 healthy male and female subjects. The two longitudinal studies in this thesis were based on a cohort of 189 male workers at a heavy engineering workshop. The first cohort study examined the risk of noise-induced hearing loss from long-term exposure to HAV and noise. The second cohort study examined if workers with VWF had an increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss compared to workers without such symptoms. Finally, the questionnaire study in this thesis examined the occurrence of Raynaud’s phenomenon among 133 men and women with noise-induced hearing loss in relation to exposure to vibrations. In the experimental study, no differences in TTS in hearing were observed after combined exposure to HAV and noise compared to exposure to only noise. In the first cohort study, there was an increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss with increased exposure to HAV in a noisy environment. In the second cohort study, it was found that workers with VWF had an increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss compared to workers without VWF. In the questionnaire study, many men and women with noise-induced hearing loss had used hand-held vibrating machines suggesting that vibrations might contribute to noise-induced hearing loss. A high prevalence of Raynaud’s phenomenon was found among men. This thesis demonstrated that there was a long-term effect on noise-induced hearing loss from combined exposure to noise and HAV, but no short-term effect, and that having Raynaud’s phenomenon may also increase the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. / Många arbetare använder sig av handhållna vibrerande verktyg. Det utsätter dem för höga nivåer av både buller och vibrationer. Människor som utsätts för höga bullernivåer under lång tid kan skada sin hörsel. Risken för hörselnedsättning orsakad av buller kan eventuellt öka om personen samtidigt är utsatt för vibrationer från handhållna vibrerande verktyg. Syftet med avhandlingen var att studera om vibrationer i kombination med buller ökar risken för hörselnedsättning. Avhandlingen består av fyra studier. Den första studien är en experimentell studie med 22 friska deltagare med god hörsel. Denna studie undersökte hur hörseln tillfälligt påverkas av buller och vibrationer, separat och i kombination. Den andra och tredje studien bygger på en population bestående av 189 verkstadsarbetare i Sundsvall som följts regelbundet sedan 1987. Den andra studien undersökte om det finns en ökad risk för hörselnedsättning för arbetare som utsätts för buller och vibrationer under lång tid. Den tredje studien undersökte om arbetare med vita fingrar har en ökad risk för hörselnedsättning än arbetare utan vita fingrar. Vita fingrar är en kärlskada orsakad av vibrationer som gör att fingrarna reagerar onormalt snabbt på kyla. Fingrarna blir vita när blodtillförseln till dem stryps. Den fjärde studien är en enkätstudie med 342 kvinnor och män som har en bekräftad hörselnedsättning orsakad av buller. Studien undersökte hur många ur denna grupp som utsätts för vibrationer samt har vita fingrar. Resultaten från studierna visar att det inte finns någon skillnad i hörselpåverkan från buller och vibrationer i kombination jämfört med enbart buller under kort tid. De som utsätts för vibrationer från handhållna vibrerande verktyg i en bullrig miljö under lång tid har en ökad risk för hörselnedsättning. Arbetare med vita fingrar har en högre risk för hörselnedsättning än de utan. En hög andel av de med hörselnedsättning orsakad av buller använder sig av handhållna vibrerande verktyg. I studien fanns även en hög andel med vita fingrar. Sammanfattningsvis visar resultaten att det finns en långtidseffekt av buller och vibrationer på hörselnedsättning men inte någon korttidseffekt, och att vita fingrar kan påverka risken för hörselnedsättning.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2008. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2006. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 42 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

SANTOS, Viviane Castro dos. Vibração ocupacional em trator 4x2 tda em função da pressão interna dos pneus e da superfície de rolamento. 2016. 58 f. : Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Agrícola, Fortaleza-CE, 2016. / Submitted by demia Maia (demiamlm@gmail.com) on 2016-07-07T16:44:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016-dis_vcsantos.pdf: 1527845 bytes, checksum: 5f4c4792b187b3208527de2f227a2055 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by demia Maia (demiamlm@gmail.com) on 2016-07-07T16:46:37Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2016-dis_vcsantos.pdf: 1527845 bytes, checksum: 5f4c4792b187b3208527de2f227a2055 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-07T16:46:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016-dis_vcsantos.pdf: 1527845 bytes, checksum: 5f4c4792b187b3208527de2f227a2055 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / The globalized world appreciates the market competition between big companies, having no difference at all when it comes to the agricultural environment, because in order to acquire more customers, the tractor manufacturers tend to invest in technology to increase the machine’s efficiency. These improvements are required and aim to increase production, reduce production costs and to adapt the machines to their users, in order to have more quality within the work. Several factors can influence the machine operation quality, especially noise, temperature and vibration which may directly affect welfare. The present study aimed to evaluate the whole operator body exposure to vibration as well as his hands and arms on a tractor on the following conditions, three different tire air pressure, two different forward speeds and two different shooting surfaces. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the Agricultural Machinery Accident Investigation Laboratory belonging to the Department of Agricultural Engineering of the Federal University of Ceará. The tractor utilized was a 4x2 tractor with auxiliary front wheel drive, Valtra brand, model BM 125i, year 2011 with a power of 91.9 kW (125 HP), maximum speed of 2,300 rotation per minute, equipped with radial tires. The experimental design was a completely randomized factorial 2 x 2 x 3 with two rolling surfaces (uncovered soil and soil covered with (Panicum maximum CV. Mombasa)), two forward speeds (4.3 km. h-1 and 6.4 km h-1), and three different tire air pressure (10, 14 and 18 lbs.pol-2) for the front tires and (12, 16 and 20 lbs.pol-2 ) for the rear tires. The experiment was conducted in accordance with the guidelines determined by the Brazilian operational hygiene standard number 09 and number 10 as well as the international ISO standard 5008, annex A. For the data evaluation, the statistical program ASSISTAT version 7.7 beta was utilized, checked for normality through the symmetry value and kurtosis analysis and consequently subjected to a variance analysis by F test, having the means compared by the Tukey test at 5% significance level. The vibration levels increased due to the increase in speed and the internal air pressure in tires and decreased with the use of the soil covering material. The best working condition was found in the following conditions, operations with soil covering material, at a speed of 4.3 km.h-1, using the tire air pressure at minimum (10 lbs.pol-2 on the front tires and 12 lbs.pol-2 on the rear tires). / O mundo globalizado preza pela concorrência no mercado de grandes empresas e isso não é diferente no meio agrícola, para adquirir cada vez mais clientes os fabricantes de trator tendem a investir em tecnologia para aumentar a eficiência de suas máquinas. Essas melhorias são necessárias nos tratores atuais e visam o aumento da produção, redução de custos de produção e adequação ao usuário para que o mesmo possa desempenhar o trabalho com qualidade. Vários fatores podem influenciar na qualidade de operação desempenhada pelo operador, principalmente fatores como, ruído, temperatura, vibração que interferem diretamente no seu bem estar. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a exposição do operador às vibrações de corpo inteiro e mãos e braços em um trator agrícola em função da utilização de três pressões internas de ar nos pneus, duas velocidades de deslocamento e duas superfícies de rolamento. O experimento foi realizado na área experimental do Laboratório de Investigação de Acidentes com Máquinas Agrícolas, pertencente ao Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola da Universidade Federal do Ceará. O trator utilizado foi um trator 4x2 com tração dianteira auxiliar (TDA) da marca Valtra modelo BM 125i, ano 2011 com potência do motor de 91,9 kW (125 cv), rotação máxima de 2300 rpm, equipado com pneus radiais. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 2 x 2 x 3, sendo duas superfícies de rolamento dos pneus (solo solto e solo com (Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça) cobertura vegetal), duas velocidades de deslocamento (4,3 km.h-1 e 6,4 km.h-1), e três pressões internas nos pneus, sendo (10, 14 e 18 lb.pol-2) para os pneus dianteiros e (12, 16 e 20 lb.pol-2) para os pneus traseiros. O experimento foi realizado de acordo com as diretrizes determinadas pela NHO – 09, NHO – 10 e o anexo A da norma NBR ISO 5008. Para avaliação dos dados foi utilizado o programa estatístico ASSISTAT versão 7.7 beta, onde através dos valores de simetria e curtose foi verificada a normalidade e então submetidos à análise de variância pelo teste F, e quando significativas, as médias foram comparadas pelo teste de Tukey, a 5% de significância. Os níveis de vibrações aumentaram em função do aumento da velocidade e da pressão interna de ar nos pneus e diminuíram com o uso de material de cobertura no solo. A melhor condição de trabalho encontrada foi realizar as operações com material de cobertura sobre o solo, na velocidade de 4,3 km.h-1 na pressão interna de ar nos pneus mínima (10 lb.pol-2 nos rodados dianteiros e 12 lb.pol-2 nos rodados traseiros).

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / The globalized world appreciates the market competition between big companies, having no difference at all when it comes to the agricultural environment, because in order to acquire more customers, the tractor manufacturers tend to invest in technology to increase the machineâs efficiency. These improvements are required and aim to increase production, reduce production costs and to adapt the machines to their users, in order to have more quality within the work. Several factors can influence the machine operation quality, especially noise, temperature and vibration which may directly affect welfare. The present study aimed to evaluate the whole operator body exposure to vibration as well as his hands and arms on a tractor on the following conditions, three different tire air pressure, two different forward speeds and two different shooting surfaces. The experiment was conducted in the experimental area of the Agricultural Machinery Accident Investigation Laboratory belonging to the Department of Agricultural Engineering of the Federal University of CearÃ. The tractor utilized was a 4x2 tractor with auxiliary front wheel drive, Valtra brand, model BM 125i, year 2011 with a power of 91.9 kW (125 HP), maximum speed of 2,300 rotation per minute, equipped with radial tires. The experimental design was a completely randomized factorial 2 x 2 x 3 with two rolling surfaces (uncovered soil and soil covered with (Panicum maximum CV. Mombasa)), two forward speeds (4.3 km. h-1 and 6.4 km h-1), and three different tire air pressure (10, 14 and 18 lbs.pol-2) for the front tires and (12, 16 and 20 lbs.pol-2 ) for the rear tires. The experiment was conducted in accordance with the guidelines determined by the Brazilian operational hygiene standard number 09 and number 10 as well as the international ISO standard 5008, annex A. For the data evaluation, the statistical program ASSISTAT version 7.7 beta was utilized, checked for normality through the symmetry value and kurtosis analysis and consequently subjected to a variance analysis by F test, having the means compared by the Tukey test at 5% significance level. The vibration levels increased due to the increase in speed and the internal air pressure in tires and decreased with the use of the soil covering material. The best working condition was found in the following conditions, operations with soil covering material, at a speed of 4.3 km.h-1, using the tire air pressure at minimum (10 lbs.pol-2 on the front tires and 12 lbs.pol-2 on the rear tires). / O mundo globalizado preza pela concorrÃncia no mercado de grandes empresas e isso nÃo à diferente no meio agrÃcola, para adquirir cada vez mais clientes os fabricantes de trator tendem a investir em tecnologia para aumentar a eficiÃncia de suas mÃquinas. Essas melhorias sÃo necessÃrias nos tratores atuais e visam o aumento da produÃÃo, reduÃÃo de custos de produÃÃo e adequaÃÃo ao usuÃrio para que o mesmo possa desempenhar o trabalho com qualidade. VÃrios fatores podem influenciar na qualidade de operaÃÃo desempenhada pelo operador, principalmente fatores como, ruÃdo, temperatura, vibraÃÃo que interferem diretamente no seu bem estar. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a exposiÃÃo do operador Ãs vibraÃÃes de corpo inteiro e mÃos e braÃos em um trator agrÃcola em funÃÃo da utilizaÃÃo de trÃs pressÃes internas de ar nos pneus, duas velocidades de deslocamento e duas superfÃcies de rolamento. O experimento foi realizado na Ãrea experimental do LaboratÃrio de InvestigaÃÃo de Acidentes com MÃquinas AgrÃcolas, pertencente ao Departamento de Engenharia AgrÃcola da Universidade Federal do CearÃ. O trator utilizado foi um trator 4x2 com traÃÃo dianteira auxiliar (TDA) da marca Valtra modelo BM 125i, ano 2011 com potÃncia do motor de 91,9 kW (125 cv), rotaÃÃo mÃxima de 2300 rpm, equipado com pneus radiais. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 2 x 2 x 3, sendo duas superfÃcies de rolamento dos pneus (solo solto e solo com (Panicum maximum cv. MombaÃa) cobertura vegetal), duas velocidades de deslocamento (4,3 km.h-1 e 6,4 km.h-1), e trÃs pressÃes internas nos pneus, sendo (10, 14 e 18 lb.pol-2) para os pneus dianteiros e (12, 16 e 20 lb.pol-2) para os pneus traseiros. O experimento foi realizado de acordo com as diretrizes determinadas pela NHO â 09, NHO â 10 e o anexo A da norma NBR ISO 5008. Para avaliaÃÃo dos dados foi utilizado o programa estatÃstico ASSISTAT versÃo 7.7 beta, onde atravÃs dos valores de simetria e curtose foi verificada a normalidade e entÃo submetidos à anÃlise de variÃncia pelo teste F, e quando significativas, as mÃdias foram comparadas pelo teste de Tukey, a 5% de significÃncia. Os nÃveis de vibraÃÃes aumentaram em funÃÃo do aumento da velocidade e da pressÃo interna de ar nos pneus e diminuÃram com o uso de material de cobertura no solo. A melhor condiÃÃo de trabalho encontrada foi realizar as operaÃÃes com material de cobertura sobre o solo, na velocidade de 4,3 km.h-1 na pressÃo interna de ar nos pneus mÃnima (10 lb.pol-2 nos rodados dianteiros e 12 lb.pol-2 nos rodados traseiros).

Hand-arm vibration syndrome because of working with hand-held vibrating machines, is increasing in the work environment and have in the last decade contributed to an increasing number of people with irreversible injuries. Risk assessment is legally required by the employer and an important part of the risk assessment is to calculate the daily vibration dose, A(8), for the workers. Knowledge of the validity of different methods for measuring the daily vibration dose A(8) and exposure time of hand-held vibrating machines is lacking. To investigate the validity of different methods, a field study was performed on 12 construction workers, at a construction site in Northern Sweden. Measurement methods included were: self-assessment questionnaire, field observation and a vibration clock. The study showed descriptively and visually indications, and statistically significant differences between all measurement methods. Compared to observation (golden standard), the self-assessment questionnaire overestimated vibration dose A(8) and exposure time. As a result of the overestimation in the self-assessment questionnaire for exposure time, more participants exceeding both input and limit value for vibration dose A(8). The vibration clock agreed better on average to observation than self-assessment questionnaire, with fewer participants above the input value and none above the limit value. Over- or underestimation of A(8) can result in uncertainties of a risk assessment according to AFS 2005:15 of hand-arm vibration. Increased use of observation may increase the risk of injuries being misjudged, since today´s input and limit value are based self-assessments. Further studies of the validity of different methods are therefore necessary.

Bakgrund: Författarna till detta examensarbete upplevde, inom ramen för sitt arbete i företagshälsovården, att arbetsledare med arbetsmiljöansvar var osäkra på hur de skulle utföra bedömningar av daglig vibrationsexponering och riskbedömningar gällande vibrerande handverktyg. Enligt Arbetsmiljöverkets föreskrift, Systematiskt arbetsmiljöarbete, (AFS 2001:1) är arbetsgivare skyldiga att som en del i den dagliga verksamheten undersöka vilka risker som finns. Syfte: Syftet var att identifiera befintliga metoder för att bedöma exponering för hand- och armvibrationer och få en fördjupad kunskap om hur arbetsledare använde dessa metoder vid riskbedömning för att bemöta lagkrav. Metod: En explorativ studie med kvalitativ design. Identifierade befintliga metoder för bedömning av vibrationsexponering togs fram via en litteraturstudie. Två fokusgrupps-intervjuer och 12 telefonintervjuer med bilverkstäder, samt fyra telefonintervjuer med inspektörer från Arbetsmiljöverket (AV) utfördes. Resultat och analys: Nio metoder identifierades för bedömning av daglig vibrationsexponering. Utifrån intervjuerna skapades fyra teman, riskbedömning, metodanvändning, kunskap och stöd. Brist på dokumenterade riskbedömningar uppgavs från både inspektörer och arbetsledarna. Bilverkstäderna använde ingen specifik metod. AV-inspektörerna ansåg att chefer och arbetsledare med befintliga metoder på egen hand borde klarat av att göra en bedömning av daglig vibrationsexponering. Företagen efterlyste stöd från leverantörerna av handhållna verktyg. Diskussion och slutsats: Kunskap saknades hos företagen om hur de skulle bedöma den dagliga vibrationsexponeringen. Det var en utmaning för företagen att inte invaggas i en falsk trygghet och tro att ny utrustning fråntog kravet på att utföra dokumenterade riskbedömningar. Externa aktörer som branschorganisationer kunde arbeta mer med dessa frågor och aktivt stötta sina medlemmar. Företagshälsovården som expertresurs kunde mer proaktivt stödja arbetsgivaren i deras arbete med riskbedömningar, utbildningar och medicinska kontroller. Triggertiden och vibrationsnivåerna ansågs svårbedömda av företagen. AV:s webbaserade kalkylator eller Poängmetoden bedömdes som lättillgängliga och enkla metoder och rekommenderades för bedömning av daglig vibrationsexponering. Fler inspektioner från AV ansågs behövas för att få fler riskbedömningar utförda. Små företag var enligt AV generellt sämre på att utföra riskbedömningar. Ett väl fungerande systematiskt arbetsmiljöarbete var en förutsättning för att riskbedömning gällande vibrationer kunde utföras. Om företaget inte hade för vana eller hade kunskap att arbeta systematiskt med övriga risker så skulle heller inte vibrationerna kunna bli riskbedömda. / Background: The authors experienced in the context of their occupational health care work, that occupational safety supervisors were unsure of how they would assess the daily vibration exposure and risk assessments of vibrating hand tools. According to the Work Environment Authority (AFS 2001: 1), employers are obliged to investigate risks involved in their daily activities. Aim: The purpose was to identify existing methods for assessing exposure to hand and arm vibrations and obtain knowledge of how supervisors used these methods in risk assessment to respond to legal requirements. Method: An explorative study with qualitative design. Identified existing methods of vibration exposure were obtained through a literature study. Two focus group interviews, 12 telephone interviews with car workshops and four with inspectors from the Work Environment Authority (AV) were conducted. Results and Analysis:   Nine methods were identified for the assessment of daily vibration exposure. Based on the interviews, the four themes, risk assessment, methodology, knowledge and support were created. Lack of documented risk assessments were stated by both inspectors and companies. The garages did not use any specific method. The AV inspectors considered that managers and supervisors with existing methods should been able to assess the daily vibration exposure on their own. The companies called for support from suppliers. Discussion and conclusion: Knowledge was lacked in companies how to assess the daily vibration exposure. It was a challenge for companies not to be caught in fake security and believe that new equipment abolished the requirement to carry out documented risk assessments. External actors such as industry organizations could work harder on these issues and actively support their members. Corporate health care as an expert resource could more proactively support the employer in their work with risk assessments, education and medical checks. Trigger time and vibration levels were considered difficult to assess by the companies. AV's web-based exposure calculator or score method were assessed as easily accessible and simple methods and were recommended for assessing daily vibration exposure. More inspections from AV were considered necessary to get more risk assessments performed. According to AV, small companies were generally poorer in conducting risk assessments. A well functioning systematic work was a prerequisite for the risk assessment of vibration to be performed. If the company had no habit or knowledge to work systematically with other risks, they will not neither assess the vibration risk.

No description available.