Effect of riveting tools on riveters' vibration exposure and muscle fatigue

Abstract

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is an occupational disorder that affects a large portion of the world's workforce. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the vibration levels experienced by workers. Although several researchers have studied the effect of rivet guns on hand-arm vibration, there is still a need to study an ensemble of variables that would give us an overall and accurate representation of the effect of vibration on workers. This research addresses this need by comparing the vibration transmitted to the hand and wrist of riveters when using four different rivet guns with three different bucking bars and two rivet gun handle positions and the effect of these vibration levels on muscle fatigue. A laboratory study involving ten male participants was conducted to achieve the proposed objective, with each pair of participants performing all 24 experimental trials. The task consisted of setting five rivets in 30 s. The results show that rivet gun Type 4 resulted in 10.3% less riveter wrist acceleration than gun Type 2; 54.5% less gun acceleration than Types 1 & 2 guns, and 56.7% less brachioradialis muscle fatigue than Type 3 gun. The horizontal rivet gun handle position led to 52% less wrist acceleration and 44.9% less brachioradialis muscle fatigue than the vertical handle position. This study, combined with associated information such as riveters' vibration exposure and muscle fatigue, riveting quality, and productivity, will benefit the industry to help make informed and safer riveting tool selection.