Title: Investigation of occupational whole-body vibration exposure among Indian tractor drivers

Authors: Amandeep Singh; Lakhwinder Pal Singh; Sarbjit Singh; Harwinder Singh; Chander Prakash

Addresses: Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, N.I.T. Post Office, G.T. Road, Punjab, 144011, India ' Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, N.I.T. Post Office, G.T. Road, Punjab, 144011, India ' Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, N.I.T. Post Office, G.T. Road, Punjab, 144011, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College (GNDEC), Ludhiana, Gill Park, Punjab, 141006, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College (GNDEC), Ludhiana, Gill Park, Punjab, 141006, India

Abstract: The study investigates whole body vibration (WBV) exposure among Indian tractor drivers. Two Sets of RPM levels i.e. (1500, 2000, 2500) and (1500, 2000) are considered for conducting on-road and harrowing operation, respectively. The VDV_exp responses are beyond recommended exposure value as per ISO 2631-1 (1997). The SEAT_vdv% showed poor vibration isolation capacity of the tractor seat and found significant at 5% level with respect to body mass index (BMI) of subjects. The A(8) responses are exceeding recommended exposure limits as per ISO 2631-1 1997 and found to be significant at 5% level for both RPM levels. Both the operations depicted the dominant frequencies between 3.15-4 Hz and 8-10 Hz. These frequencies could cause discomfort due to existing natural frequencies of various body parts. It is concluded that the Indian tractor drivers require better quality of isolated seats in order to overcome high WBV exposures and critical frequencies.

Keywords: ride comfort; vibration dose value (VDV); root mean square (RMS); weighted acceleration (A_w); daily dose (VDV_exp); daily exposure A(8); seat effective amplitude transmissibility (SEAT_vdv%); 1/3rd octave band analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHFE.2018.092240

International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics, 2018 Vol.5 No.2, pp.151 - 165

Received: 07 Jun 2017
Accepted: 13 Feb 2018
Published online: 11 Jun 2018 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article