A Study on the Exposure to Vibration of the Whole Body and the Hand-Arm Segment of Motorcyclists

Abstract

AbstractNowadays, when traffic has become extremely crowded, the motorcycle is a much easier means of transport. This paper is an analysis of the vibrations transmitted to the whole body and to the arm-hand segment of motorcyclists and it presents the measurements of the vibration parameters transmitted to humans as well as the assessment of these parameters taking into account ISO 2631 (1997) and Directive 2002/44/EC. In order to achieve this goal, studies were performed on a number of 6 motorcyclists, men, aged between 21 and 28 years, with Body Mass Index between 19 and 24, without health problems. The subjects ran on asphalt, with speeds between 40 and 60 km/h, using the same type of motorcycle, same brand but of different manufacturing years. Accelerations were measured at foot level, coccyx, cervix, and hand with the Maestro 01 dB vibrometer and processed with “Whole-body vibration exposure computer-HSE” and “Hand-arm vibration exposure computer-HSE”. For each of them were calculated: weighted r.m.s. acceleration, Vibration Dose (VDV), Time to reach EAV (TEAV), Time to reach ELV (TELV), Partial Exposure, and Daily Exposure. The results were compared with the answers given on the Likert scale.KeywordsMotorcyclesWhole-body vibrationHand-arm vibrationLikert scale