Prevalence and pattern of occupational exposure to hand transmitted vibration in Great Britain:​ findings from a national survey

Palmer, Keith T.; Griffin, Michael J.; Bendall, Holly; Pannett, Brian; Coggon, David

Affiliations

¹MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Community Clinical Sciences, University of Southampton, UK

²Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton, UK

Abstract and keywords

Objectives: To estimate the number of workers in Great Britain with significant occupational exposure to hand transmitted vibration (HTV). Also, to identify the occupations and industries where such exposures arise, and the main sources of exposure.

Methods: A questionnaire was posted to 22 194 men and women aged 16–64, comprising 21 201 subjects selected at random from the age-sex registers of 34 general practices in England, Scotland, and Wales, and a further 993 subjects selected at random from the central pay registers of the three armed services. Among other things, the questionnaire asked about exposure to sources of HTV in current and earlier employment. Responses were assessed by occupation and industry, and prevalence estimates for the country as a whole were derived from census information on occupational and industrial populations nationally. Estimates were also made in exposed workers of the average daily dose of vibration (A(8) root mean squared (rms) for the past week, based on their reported sources and durations of exposure.

Results: Usable questionnaires were returned by 12 907 subjects (overall response rate 58%). From these it was estimated that some 4.2 million men and 667 000 women in Great Britain are exposed to HTV at work in a 1 week period, and that personal daily exposures to vibration exceed a suggested action level equivalent to 2.8 ms-2 for 8 hours (A(8) >2.8 ms-2 rms) in at least 1.2 million men and 44 000 women. High estimated doses (A(8) >5 ms-2 rms) arose most often in bricklayers and masons, gardeners and groundsmen, carpenters and joiners, electricians and electrical maintenance fitters, and builders and building contractors. The industries where high A(8) values most often arose were construction, motor vehicle repair and maintenance, manufacture of basic metals, and agriculture. The most common sources of exposure were hammer drills, hand held portable grinders, and jigsaws.

Conclusions: Exposure to HTV is surprisingly prevalent, and preventive measures and health surveillance may be warranted for many men in Britain. Control strategies should focus on prevention at source, with priority accorded to the common sources of exposure and the occupations in which significant exposures tend to arise. Many vibratory tools that are common in Britain have been overlooked in previous surveys, highlighting an important focus for future research.

Keywords: hand transmitted vibration; population; prevalence; exposure

Links

DOI: 10.1136/oem.57.4.218

PubMed: 10810107

PubMedCentral: PMC1739937

WoS: 000085896500002

History

Accepted: 1999-12-20

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Cited By (10)

Year	Entry
2008	Choy N, Sim CS, Yoon JK, Kim SH, Park HO, Lee J-H, Yoo CI. A case of Raynaud’s phenomenon of both feet in a rock drill operator with hand-arm vibration syndrome [in Korean]. Korean J Occup Environ Med. 2008;20(4):119-126.
2008	Hagberg M, Burström L, Lundström R, Nilsson T. Incidence of Raynaud's phenomenon in relation to hand-arm vibration exposure among male workers at an engineering plant a cohort study. J Occupat Med Toxicol. 2008;3:13.
2004	Bovenzi M, Nataletti P, Alessandrini B, Poian T. Work-related disorders of the upper limb in female workers using orbital sanders. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Hand-Arm Vibration. June 7-11, 2004; Las Vegas, NV.355-364.
2004	Morioka M, Griffin MJ. Magnitude dependence of equivalent comfort contours forvertical hand-transmitted vibration. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Hand-Arm Vibration. June 7-11, 2004; Las Vegas, NV.327-332.
2017	Rempel D, Barr A, Antonucci A. A new test bench system for hammer drills: validation for handle vibration. Int J Ind Ergon. November 2017;62:17-20.
2017	House R, Holness L, Taraschuk I, Nisenbaum R. Infrared thermography in the hands and feet of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) cases and controls. Int J Ind Ergon. November 2017;62:70-76.
2002	Bovenzi M, Pinto I, Stacchini N. Low back pain in port machinery operators. J Sound Vibrat. May 23, 2002;253(1):3-20.
2005	Hoy J, Mubarak N, Nelson S, Sweerts de Landas M, Magnusson M, Okunribido O, Pope M. Whole body vibration and posture as risk factors for low back pain among forklift truck drivers. J Sound Vibrat. June 21, 2005;284(3-5):933-946.
2006	Bovenzi M, Rui F, Negro C, D’Agostin F, Angotzi G, Bianchi S, Bramanti L, Festa G, Gatti S, Pinto I, Rondina L, Stacchini N. An epidemiological study of low back pain in professional drivers. J Sound Vibrat. December 12, 2006;298(3):514-539.
2016	Byrnell HK. Personal Protective Equipment as a Control Strategy to Reduce Foot-Transmitted Vibration [Master's thesis]. Sudbury, ON: Laurentian University; 2016.