Assessment of Relative Health Risks of Vibration-Exposed Equipment Operators in Coal Mines.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aims at evaluating the influence of whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure and its contributing factors on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of equipment operators in coal mines.

METHODOLOGY: In this paper, WBV measurement was conducted for 100 equipment operators exposed to vibration, followed by a questionnaire survey. This questionnaire survey was also extended to 104 workers with limited exposure to vibration.

RESULTS

The daily average frequency-weighted acceleration A(8), when compared with health guidance caution zone (HGCZ) of ISO 2631-1, reveals that 15% operators are exposed to likely health risk and 82% to potential health risk. The relative risk of MSDs of vibration-exposed operators was 2.63 times more than the control group. Moreover, when mines were compared, Mine B showed a 3.27 times higher likelihood of vibration hazards compared to Mine A.

CONCLUSION

Equipment operators in mines are exposed to vibration as a part of their occupation. The company management may take preventive measures through design of workplace and work environment for minimizing vibration exposure on operators to reduce MSDs.