Predictions of health risks associated with the operation of load-haul-dump mining vehicles: Part 1-Analysis of whole-body vibration exposure using ISO 2631-1 and ISO-2631-5 standards

Predicted health risks, associated with the operation of load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicles, based on ISO 2631-1 criteria are limited and have not yet been determined according to ISO 2631-5 criteria. Therefore, health risks predicted by ISO 2631-1 and 2631-5 criteria are reported and compared in this paper. Whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure was measured according to procedures established in ISO 2631-1. A tri-axial seat pad accelerometer was used to measure vibration exposure at the operator/seat interface. According to ISO 2631-1 criteria, calculated 8-h equivalent vibration dose values placed three of the seven LHD operators above the health guidance caution zone (HGCZ) boundaries and four LHD operators within the HGCZ. However, health risks predicted by the ISO 2631-5 criteria were always lower than the risks predicted by ISO 2631-1 criteria. Relevance to industry In 2004, ISO released a new standard for the evaluation of WBV, ISO-2631-5. The boundaries for probable health effects were established using the best guidance at the time; however, they have not been epidemiologically validated and very few studies have reported health risks based on ISO 2631-5 criteria. This study provides a comparison of predicted health risks based on ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5 and provides data that could suggest the ISO 2631-5 boundaries for probable health effects may be set too high. Alternatively, the data presented in this paper suggests more dialogue is required to identify the appropriate application of ISO 2631-1 and 2631-5 given the different health risks predicted for a data set with high shock content. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.