Effect of Whole-Body Vibration on Vehicle Operators: A Review

Operators of on road and off-road vehicles have been associated with discomfort and a number of musculoskeletal disorders (low back pain as well as long term health degradation) due to regular and long-term sitting during operation. These problems become more severe when exposed to whole-body vibration (WBV), that encountered on the seats of industrial and agricultural vehicles, platforms of moving and heavy machinery. With the increase in the duration of exposure of a operator to whole-body vibration, the risk of musculoskeletal disorders have also been increased. The most commonly reported musculoskeletal disorder from exposure to whole body vibration is low back pain. Studies have also shown degeneration of the lumbar spine with long-term exposure to whole-body vibration. If the exposure of human body to the vibrations exceeds a certain limit, that may be hazardous to the health of driver. The measurements of whole body vibration are commonly expressed in terms of the frequency weighted acceleration (measured on the vibrating surface which is in contact with the body), the frequency and the exposure time as per ISO 2631-1 standard. In the present paper, research work carried out by various researchers in the field of effect of WBV on vehicle operators has been reviewed and presented.