Health injuries from occupational exposures to whole-body vibration

Exposures to whole-body vibration (WBV) at the workplace may occur from machines and vehicles driven in industry, forestry, agriculture or public utilities.WBV occurs when the human body is supported on a surface which is vibrating, e.g. in all forms of transport and when working near some industrial machines. Craft workers, machine operators, agricultural workers, and members of the armed forces have notable exposures to WBV. In the European Directive 2002/44/EC on mechanical vibration, WBV is defined as “the mechanical vibration that, when transmitted to the whole body, entails risks to the health and safety of workers, in particular lower-back morbidity and trauma of the spine”. Most of the research on the effects of WBV on the human body has concentrated on acute effects, discomfort or decreased performance. Less is known about health effects of long-term exposure. Epidemiological studies have shown that prolonged occupational exposures to intense WBV are associated with an increased risk for disorders of the lumbar spine and the connected nervous system. With a lower probability, the neck-shoulder (unspecific muscle pain, tendinitis, tenosynovitis), the gastrointestinal system (increased gastrointestinal activity, gastritis, peptic ulcer), the female reproductive organs (disorders of menstruation, internal inflammation, abnormal childbirth), the peripheral veins (varicose veins, hemorrhoids), and the cochleo-vestibular system (worsening of noise-induced hearing loss, vestibular disturbances) are also assumed to be affected by WBV. However, there is a weak epidemiological support for vibration-induced disorders of organ systems other than the lower back.