Examination of vibration characteristics, and reported musculoskeletal discomfort for workers exposed to vibration via the feet

Leduc, Mallorie; Eger, Tammy; Godwin, Alison; Dickey, James P.; House, Ron

Affiliations

¹Laurentian University, School of Human Kinetics, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada

²University of Western Ontario, 1393 Western Road, London, Ontario, N6G 1G9, Canada

³University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8, Canada

Abstract and keywords

The frequency and amplitude characteristics of vibration experienced at the feet under typical mining equipment operation were documented in this study. Foottransmitted vibration (FTV) was measured using a tri-axial accelerometer mounted at the location where the worker stood. A musculoskeletal disorder questionnaire, work history and demographic information were also collected. Vibration from locomotives (primary source exposure) had a dominant frequency below 6.3 Hz; whereas, drilling and raise platforms (secondary source exposures) were predominantly in the 31.5 to 40 Hz range. All workers reported lower limb discomfort and two had been diagnosed with vibration induced white feet. All raise platforms exposed the workers to vibration levels that placed them above the ISO 2631-1 health guidance caution zone for an 8- hour exposure. Further investigation using both ISO 2631-1 and ISO 5341-1 standards is needed to determine long-term health effects to the whole-body and feet of workers exposed to FTV.

Keywords: Standing vibration, mining, foot-transmitted-vibration, white-feet, Raynaud’s phenomenon, ISO-2631-1

Links

DOI: 10.1260/0263-0923.30.3.197

History

Received: 2011-07-18

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Cited By (15)

Year	Entry
2012	Goggins K, Eger T, Godwin A, Dickey JP. Evaluation of foot transmitted vibration: ISO 2631-1 or ISO 5349-1? In: Proceedings of the 4th American Conference on Human Vibration. June 13-15, 2012; Farmington, CT.93-94.
2014	Leduc M, Eger T. Exploring policy implications of legislation and mining regulations on worker exposure to vibration and compensation claims. In: Proceedings of the 5th American Conference on Human Vibration. June 10-13, 2014; Guelph, ON.40-41.
2016	Goggins K, Godwin A, Dickey JP, Eger T. The effects of foot-transmitted vibration on self-reported discomfort ratings. In: Proceedings of the 6th American Conference on Human Vibration. June 8-10, 2016; Milwaukee, WI.25-26.
2015	Eger T, Leduc M, Goggins K, Thompson A, House R. Understanding the link between occupational exposure to foot-transmitted vibration and the development of vibration-induced white-feet. In: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Hand-Arm Vibration. October 13-15, 2015; Beijing, China.82-83.
2017	Eger T. Whole-body vibration exposure and interventions in mining. In: 6th International Conference on Whole Body Vibration (WBV2017). June 19-21, 2017; Gothenburg, Sweden.24-29.
2021	Goggins KA, Chadefaux D, Tarabini M, Arsenault M, Lievers WB, Eger T. Four degree-of-freedom lumped parameter model of the foot-ankle system exposed to vertical vibration from 10 to 60 Hz with varying centre of pressure conditions. Ergonomics. 2021;64(8):1002-1017.
2016	Goggins K, Godwin A, Lariviere C, Eger T. Study of the biodynamic response of the foot to vibration exposure. Occup Ergon. 2016;13(1):53-66.
2021	Vance B, Goggins KA, Godwin A, Oddson BE, Eger TR. Evaluation of the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of a protocol for the measurement of foot-transmitted vibration. Theor Issues Egron Sci. 2021;22(2):218-235.
2021	Tarabini M, Eger T, Goggins K, Moorhead AP, Goi F. Effect of the shoe sole on the vibration transmitted from the supporting surface to the feet. Vibration. 2021;4(4):743-758.
2013	Goggins KA. Foot-Transmitted Vibration: Exposure Characteristics and the Biodynamic Response of the Foot [Master's thesis]. Sudbury, Ontario: Laurentian University; 2013.
2016	Byrnell HK. Personal Protective Equipment as a Control Strategy to Reduce Foot-Transmitted Vibration [Master's thesis]. Sudbury, ON: Laurentian University; 2016.
2018	Leduc MG. Vibration Toolkit: An Occupational Health Education Intervention for the Mining Industry [PhD thesis]. Sudbury, ON: Laurentian University; 2018.
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2019	Goggins KA. Measuring and Modelling Human Response to Foot-Transmitted Vibration Exposure [PhD thesis]. Sudbury, ON: Laurentian University; 2019.
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