Whole Body Vibration
'Whole Body Vibration (WBV) is the shaking or jolting of the human body through a supporting surface, usually a seat or floor. The risk from vibration is related to the overall time the operator or driver is exposed to the vibration and the number of shocks and jolts they experience each day.' SOURCE: UK Health & Safety Executive
Most exposure to whole-body vibration at work is unlikely on its own to cause back pain. It may pose a risk when there is unusually high vibration or jolting or the vibration is uncomfortable for a long time on most working days. In such situations, the risk from vibration is related to the overall time the operator or driver is exposed to the vibration and the number of shocks and jolts they experience each day.
Examples of Whole Body Vibration (WBV) on land include driving or riding on a vehicle along an unmade road, operating earthmoving machines or standing on a structure attached to a large, powerful, fixed machine which is impacting or vibrating.
In some cases whole-body vibration (WBV) can aggravate a back problem caused by another activity. For example a muscle strain caused by an accident when lifting a heavy object or during physical activity such as sport.
Among those most likely to experience high vibration exposures are regular operators and drivers of off-road machinery such as:
• Construction, mining and quarrying machines and vehicles
• Earth-moving machines such as scrapers, bulldozers and building site dumpers
• Tractors, agricultural & forestry machinery - when used in transportation or primary cultivation
The risk for road transport drivers from vibration exposure is likely to be low unless the vehicles do not have effective suspension (e.g. some types of smaller rigid-body lorries or flat-bed trucks) or are driven over poor surfaces or off-road. But there may be other causes of back pain for road transport drivers, which should probably be considered first, such as poor posture, long periods in the same position and repeated lifting and carrying.
High exposures could occur where vehicles designed for smooth surfaces are driven on poor surfaces, e.g. when lift trucks with no wheel suspension or with solid tyres are used on a cracked or uneven yard. Poor operating or driving technique with most off-road machines or vehicles (e.g. driving too fast) can also lead to higher exposures which can be reduced by good driver training and instruction. High exposures also occur in small, fast boats.
The people most likely to be at risk of back pain and may be at higher risk from exposure to Whole-Body Vibration are older people, those with previous back or neck problems, young people and pregnant women.
PDF Downloads
UK HSE - Control Of Risks From Whole Body Vibration
The approach to WBV is directed towards good practice controls.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0.
HSE - Control Back Pain Risks From Whole Body Vibration
Advice for employers on the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0.
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