scholarly journals Lower back pain and its association with whole-body vibration and manual materials handling among commercial drivers in Sabah

Author(s):  
Khamisah Awang Lukman ◽  
Mohammad Saffree Jeffree ◽  
Krishna Gopal Rampal
Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 473-481
Author(s):  
P. Bossi ◽  
P. Meert

BACKGROUND: Whole-body vibration is a major cause of lower back pain among employees, and the medical and preventive care teams of occupational health departments are often confronted with lower back pain problems among machine operators. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this research are to determine the number of excavator drivers exposed to whole-body vibration levels above 0.5m/s2, identify other exposure factors that may contribute to back pain, and propose corrective measures. METHODS: Vibration measurements were carried out on individual excavator drivers while they were observed carrying out working tasks, after which prevention advice is given. Factors which determine vibration levels are logged on to a database. RESULTS: The multivariate analysis of several determining factors shows vibration exposure levels vary depending on the varied work tasks being carried out. CONCLUSION: This study identifies exposed employees among excavator operators. For each workstation, the determining factors that could explain the high exposures to vibrations are identified. This work shows the important role of tasks on exposure levels. A better adaptation of the tools used to carry out work tasks would allow a decrease in the vibration level of this type of machine.


Spine ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 27 (17) ◽  
pp. 1829-1834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörn Rittweger ◽  
Karsten Just ◽  
Katja Kautzsch ◽  
Peter Reeg ◽  
Dieter Felsenberg

Author(s):  
Hassam A. Baig ◽  
Daniel B. Dorman ◽  
Bethany L. Shivers ◽  
Arlene Breaux-Waltz ◽  
V. Carol Chancey ◽  
...  

Vibration exposure has been linked to chronic neck and lower back pain [1,2]. For example, American male workers operating vibrating vehicles, such as industrial trucks and tractors, have been reported to have a higher prevalence of low back pain than workers whose occupations do not involve vibration exposures [1]. Also, military helicopter aviators report increased pain during deployment compared to pre-deployment, with between 22–37% reporting neck and 39–70% reporting low back pain [2]. It has been suggested that the cyclic muscle response to whole body vibration (WBV) can lead to muscle fatigue, further contributing to the development of low back pain [3]. Although several studies have measured the transmissibility response of the human spine [4,5], studies defining the mechanical effects of whole body vibration in a seated human are limited [4,5] and none have investigated the relationship between the biomechanical and muscle activity responses during such whole body vibration exposures.


Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Rahul Upadhyay ◽  
Ashis Bhattacherjee ◽  
Aditya Kumar Patra ◽  
Nearkasen Chau

BACKGROUND: Dumper operators in mines worldwide are subjected to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) due to whole-body vibration exposure. This study evaluated the working-life-Whole-Body Vibration (WBV)-exposure and their association with various MSDs among dumper operators in mines which remains poorly addressed. METHODS: This case-control study in Indian iron ore mines was conducted to compare randomly selected 65 dumper operators and 65 office workers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and were analysed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: The study revealed that majority of the dumper operators were exposed to WBV exceeding the ISO-2631 limits. Compared with controls, the dumper operators had a much higher risk of upper back pain (age-overweight-adjusted odds ratio ORao = 5.37, 95%CI = 1.78–16.20), lower back pain (ORao = 2.72, 95%CI = 1.25–5.94), knee and leg pain (ORao = 3.68, 95%CI = 1.22–11.11), and having 2+ MSDs (ORao = 5.05, 95%CI = 1.88–13.51, vs. no MSDs). Working-life-WBV-exposure was higher among dumper operators having upper back pain (mean (SD) = 7.1 (1.91) vs. 5.7 (1.91), p <  0.01) and lower back pain (mean (SD) = 6.63 (2.10) vs. 5.55 (1.71), p <  0.01) compared to those without these MSDs. Older age was associated with higher risk of MSD pains. CONCLUSION: Dumper operators have excess MSDs due to high working-life-WBV-exposure. Their MSDs and working-life-WBV-exposure should be regularly evaluated and reduced.


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