Investigating the Effect of Different Scenarios of Hand-Arm Vibration on the Vascular Response of the Hand

The increasing use of manual vibrating equipment for various construction works has exposed the workers of this industry to hand-arm vibration. The present study investigates the effect and frequency of hand-arm vibration on the vascular response of the hand in construction workers.

The present study was conducted on 40 workers in the construction industry in the laboratory phase. Using the hand-arm vibration simulator, the participants were exposed to 4 different scenarios of hand-arm vibration 5 m/s2 (125Hz), 5 m/s2 (63Hz), 5 m/s2 (31.5Hz), and 10 m/s2 (31.5Hz). Before and after each scenario, the hand's vascular response was analyzed to detect the degree of vascular obstruction using the Nexus-4 device along with the BVP sensor.

The results of the present study showed that the relative blood flow of the finger decreased in all scenarios of exposure to hand-arm vibration and had statistically significant changes. The mean difference of the relative blood flow of the finger in the exposure to hand-arm vibration 10 m/s2 (31.5Hz) was more than other scenarios. Examining the scenarios with the same vibration acceleration of 5 m/s2 and different frequencies of 125, 63, and 31.5 Hz showed that with increasing frequency, the amount of relative blood flow decreased.

The frequency of exposure to hand-arm vibration, like the acceleration encountered, is fundamental very important in causing vascular complications. The higher the frequency of hand-arm vibration, the more vascular disorders in the fingers.