Whole-Body Vibration Exposure Study in Intercity Mini-Bus Drivers-The Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders

Exposure to Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is one of the most important risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which drivers are likely to report non-specific health complaints. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between whole body vibrations with musculoskeletal disorders among intercity mini-buses drivers.
80 intercity mini-bus drivers were participated in this study. The values of the frequency-weighted Root Mean Square (RMS), Vibration Dose Values (VDV) and Crest Factor (CF) was measured using the SVAN-958 and the SV39A/L accelerometer, in accordance with ISO 2631-1. ANOVA, Post-hoc analysis, and correlation tests were used to analyze the obtained data using SPSS 23.
This study show that the overall equivalent acceleration 𝐴𝑒𝑞(𝑇) difference in various studied models of minibuses was significant (P<0.01), so that the mini-buses model 2011 have the lowest acceleration (0.88 m/s2), whereas the 2009 model have the highest value (0.96 m/s2). POST hoc analysis and Bonferroni method show that there was a significant difference between three models of the mini-buses (P<0.01-F=4.90). Also, there was a significant correlation between pain in different areas of the body with values of exposure daily vibration, expressed in terms of 8-h, respectively (P<0.001).
There was sufficient evidence to prove the relationships of whole body vibration with MSDs. In addition, the lifetime of minibuses production is introduced as one of the effective factors in transmitting vibration to drivers.