Abstract
Professional drivers are exposed to whole-body vibration while driving, which contributes to an increased risk of developing physical problems, such as pain in the lower back. This article aims to review the effects of vibration exposure on bus drivers. Searches were performed on the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Only full articles of observational and experimental studies that investigated the effects of vibration on bus drivers with consequences in the lumbar region published in English were included. Data on driver demographics, study design, objectives, bus model, seat model, length of exposure to vibration, and outcomes were extracted. Two studies were classified as evidence level III-2 and three studies as level III-3. The methodological quality of the publications presented one with a moderate and four with a serious risk of bias. In all the publications, pain in the lumbar spine was reported. In conclusion, the results of this systematic review suggest that bus drivers are exposed to mechanical vibration in their work routine, and this might be considered a risk factor for the development of pain in the lumbar spine, bearing in mind that the exposure is for long periods.
Highlights
Public transport is one of the world’s most popular systems of transportation [1], playing an important role in commuting passengers across the world [2], with buses being one of the most used option [1]
It was possible to observe the influence of vibration on low-back pain (LBP) in bus drivers through factors such as several levels of exposure to vibration, long hours and routine exposure to vibration, inadequate posture used by drivers when driving, psychological factors related to work, and the various types of roads that bus drivers use during their journeys
The findings indicated that among bus drivers, lumbar symptoms occurred at levels of exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) below the health exposure limits proposed by the International Standard
Summary
Public transport is one of the world’s most popular systems of transportation [1], playing an important role in commuting passengers across the world [2], with buses being one of the most used option [1]. Several factors can contribute to the intensity of the vibration the driver may be exposed to, including the type and design of the vehicle [7], the engine, the seat [7], the speed at which the vehicle is moving, the body posture adopted [8], the road, and environmental issues. This intensity of vibration can be measured on three orthogonal axes, x-forward and backward, y-lateral, and z-vertical [2]
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