Multi-axis whole-body vibration: laboratory studies of the influences on discomfort and human health

全身振动会影响重型机械的驾驶员，对北美4%至7%的劳动力构成重大健康风险。关于振动对劳动者的健康和舒适性的影响的评价，目前的国际标准主要是基于垂直振动的研究（ISO-2631-1和ISO-2631-5），没有适当地反映多轴振动（沿着全部6个自由度的振动）的影响。这项研究计划的长期目标是了解振动能量如何在人体内传播和衰减（吸收），并降低全身振动造成工作场所伤害的风险。本研究计划的长期目标是建立一个分析模型，其中包括多轴全身振动，健康和不适的特征之间的定量关系。这将使我能够预测与特定振动曲线相关的不适程度。然后，我将能够预测诸如降低加速度水平之类的因素是否对不适程度有有意义的影响。为此，短期目标包括评估各个振动因素（如方向（轴）、振幅、频谱）与不适之间的关系，以及评估这些振动因素组合与不适之间的相互作用。振动和不适之间的关系很重要，因为它影响工作场所的安全和生产力，也因为它是评估全身振动对健康影响的方法的基础。该应用程序的新奇在于统一的实验室研究和独特的统计模型开发，以表征振动参数与受试者不适和健康影响之间的关系。

Whole-body vibration affects drivers of heavy machinery and is a significant health risk for between 4 and 7% of the work force in North America. Current international standards for assessing the influence of vibration on the health and comfort of workers is largely based on studies of vertical vibration (ISO-2631-1 and ISO-2631-5), and the standards do not appropriately reflect the influence of multi-axis vibrations (vibrations along all of the 6 degrees of freedom). The long-term goal of this research program is to understand how vibration energy is transmitted and attenuated (absorbed) in humans, and to reduce the risk of workplace injury from whole-body vibration. The long-term objective of this research program is to develop an analytic model which includes the quantitative relationship between features of multi axis whole-body vibration, health and discomfort. This will enable me to predict the level of discomfort associated with specific vibration profiles. I will then be able to predict whether factors such as reduced acceleration level have a meaningful impact on the level of discomfort. To this end, short-term objectives include evaluation of the relationship between individual vibration factors (such as direction (axis), amplitude, frequency spectrum) and discomfort as well as the evaluation of the interactions between combinations of these vibration factors and discomfort. The relationship between vibration and discomfort is important as it influences workplace safety and productivity, and also since it underpins the approach for evaluating the health effects of whole-body vibration. The novelty of this application is the unified set of laboratory studies and the unique statistical model development to characterize the relationship between vibration parameters and the subject discomfort and health effects.