Exposure to whole Body Vibration (WBV) and prevalence of MSDs amongst haulage operators of underground coal mines of Punjab, Pakistan
Keywords:
WBV; underground coal mines; haulage operators; occupational safety; socioeconomic issues.Abstract
To measure exposure to whole-body-vibration (WBV) and musculoskeletal-disorders (MSDs) amongst haulage operators of underground mines, present research was conducted. 100 workers from 20 mines were surveyed using Standard Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Their 8-hours exposure to WBV was measured by fixing tri-axial seat pad accelerometer (equipped with a control panel to record vibration exposure). IBM SPSS, 26 was used to get Multivariate-Logistic-Regression-Analyses. The mean value of age was 42.2389 years, working hours/day 9.56, and working months/year 8.82. The operators with BMI 25- 34 category were having alarming pain in neck with OR 7.79 (95% CI 1.14-53.59). Values of frequency- weighted root mean square acceleration and vibration dose along three (X/Y/Z) axes has been measured. The crest factor of highly exposed group (N=82) were crossing limits, categorizing all workers “high risk” by ISO 2631-1. The operators of mines are being exposed to WBV and MSDs, effecting their social lifestyle. Intervention is required to reduce risk.
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