Risk assessment of the whole-body vibration exposure for drivers of armored vehicles: A case study

Abstract

It is widely recognized in the field of safety at workplace that professional exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) may generate unfavorable effects on workers' health. Among many involved categories, professional drivers are clearly one of the most exposed groups, as exposure time may last for the whole working period. This research is based on the results of measurements gathered from 14 subjects who drove vehicles for urban use. In particular, in order to highlight the effects of vehicle armoring on professional WBV dose, two sampling campaigns were carried out. In the first case, a car for standard use was used while, in the second one, another vehicle of the same model was modified with the installation of the armor-plate for ballistic protection. The assessment was carried out in accordance with ISO 2631-1(97), under the same boundary conditions, and finally the daily exposure parameter was assessed. Furthermore, to allow a comparison independent of individual factors, the exposed subjects were divided into homogeneous groups of different classes based on their body weight and height. The results obtained showed that WBV exposure is clearly connected with vehicle characteristics. In particular, the installation of bulletproof armor, contributing to a change in the car mass distribution and its total weight, determines a generalized reduction of professional dose. This reduction may be quantified in a range from 10% to 20% depending on the individual characteristics of the driver.

Preliminary Investigation on Systems for the Preventive Diagnosis of Faults on Agricultural Operating Machines

“…In fact, a defect in a bearing, unless detected in time, can cause considerable industrial damage [ 2 ] as well as risks to human health. In particular, the phenomenon of vibrations can be potentially dangerous for human health, leading to strong negative effects [ 3 , 4 ]. Approximately more than half of all machine failures are due to bearing faults [ 5 ].…”

Effects of Ground Conditions on Whole-Body Vibration Exposure on Cars: A Case Study of Drivers of Armored Vehicles

“…A uniaxial accelerometer PCB 393A03 was fixed on both vehicles through a permanent magnet to a special iron bar fixed under the driver's seat in order to measure the input signal. The aim was check that the vibration signal received at the seat base was repetitive for all subjects [16]. The device was set to record accelerations with a 10 V gain value in order to avoid overload with a sampling rate of 1250 Hz.…”

“…Limited research exists that quantitatively describes postural and load exposures associated with police work on the cars. For this reason, this study aims at investigating the influence of inertial characteristics of the vehicle on the worker's exposure when the structure of the chassis is changed by the addition of bulletproof armor [16]. This installation is generally realized on wheeled and tracked military terrain vehicles but it has also become more common among urban employment cars for police patrol activities.…”