Measurement and evaluation of whole-body vibration exposure in drivers of cargo vehicle compositions

The present study carries out measurements and evaluations of whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure in drivers of a cargo vehicle composition, traveling under different conditions of roads and loading, to compare and assess the health risk through the various criteria provided by vibration exposure standards. Using the acceleration data measured in the seat, the WBV exposure of the drivers is evaluated according to the criteria provided by five standards: three different versions of ISO 2631 (Part 1, 1985 and 1997; Part 5, 2004), the European Directive 2002/44/EC and the new Brazilian regulation NR-15 published in 2014. Comparisons investigating the differences between the standards are presented. The results of the experimental data indicate that the current version of the NR-15 is more restrictive than the other standards considered in this paper. Thus, these results can contribute to improve the criteria used in the new NR-15.