Seat selection guidelines to reduce whole-body vibration exposure levels in the SA mining industry

The short-term and long-term consequences of whole-body vibration (WBV) have been shown to adversely affect occupational health and safety. Some of these effects can lead to permanent disabilities, especially to muscoskeletal, spinal and gastro-intestinal disorders (Boshuizen and Hulshof1). One of the most common complaints from personnel exposed to high levels of WBV is that of lower back pain, an ailment difficult to diagnose. Otherwise, reduced ride comfort can lead to fatigue and reduced alertness of drivers and operators and ultimately to safety risks when they make poor decisions or fail to react proactively when hazardous situations develop. The levels of WBV transmitted to drivers and operators of vehicles and other equipment in the South African mining industry have been associated with high risks that may pose health and safety threats. The South African mining industry has in the past paid little attention to WBV (Van Niekerk et al.2) although drivers of, in particular, earthmoving equipment are exposed to substantial levels of vibration. One obstacle the SA mining industry faces is the difficulty of establishing appropriate holistic assessment procedures and control measures to reduce the exposure of workers to WBV as well as a lack of knowledge to implement appropriate preventative measures. In an effort to control whole-body vibration in industry, the European Union has issued the EU Directive 2002/44/EU stipulating human vibration control measures to be legislated by 2005 in all European Union countries. This directive mandates a wholebody vibration exposure limit of 1.15 m/s2, and an action level of 0.5 m/s2 for an equivalent eight-hour exposure period when measured according to ISO 2631-13. There is a real concern that a number of earthmoving vehicles used in the South African mining industry, such as articulated dump trucks, which are also being exported to Europe, will expose operators to substantially higher levels Seat selection guidelines to reduce whole-body vibration exposure levels in the SA mining industry