Nauka Przyroda Technologie

2012 volume 6 issue 3 #53

Leszek Solecki

Private farmers’ annual exposure to whole body vibration from the aspect of the type of agricultural and transport activities performed

Summary.

The objective of the study was hygienic evaluation of farmers’ exposure to whole body vibration from the aspect of the type of agricultural and transport activities performed during the whole year. Twenty farms were selected for the study using arable land of over 10 ha, engaged in mixed production (plant-animal). The scope of the study covered measurements of mechanical vibration (acceleration) on seats of agricultural vehicles while performing various field and transport activities, time-schedule measurements of the duration of exposure to vibration; determination of the percentage contribution of individual agricultural and transport activities with respect to the total monthly exposure to whole body vibration (vibration doses). The studies showed that the highest vibration acceleration values were emitted during field and transport activities performed with an elevated operation speed, on hardened or uneven surfaces, and mainly along the vertical axis. The mean calculated values of vibration doses (d) in individual months of the year and the mean duration of exposure to vibration in these months indicated that the highest exposure to whole body vibration occurred in the summer-autumn season (August-November), and in April. The lowest values of vibration doses were noted in winter: December, January and February. Analysis of percentage contribution of individual field and transport activities to whole body vibration allows the presumption that the values of vibration doses depended primarily on the level of vibration produced while performing individual field or transport activities, and to a lower degree – on the duration of exposure to vibration. The results of the studies obtained are of great cognitive and practical importance from the aspect of prevention of excessive exposure to vibration.

Key words: whole body vibration, annual exposure, field and transport work activities, vibration acceleration, vibration dose, private farmers

Full text available in Polish in Adobe Acrobat format:
https://www.npt.up-poznan.net/pub/art_6_53.pdf

Streszczenie w języku polskim:
https://www.npt.up-poznan.net/tom6/zeszyt3/streszczenie-53.html

Corresponding address:
Leszek Solecki
Zakład Fizycznych Szkodliwości Zawodowych
Instytut Medycyny Wsi im. Witolda Chodźki w Lublinie
ul. Jaczewskiego 2
20-090 Lublin
Poland
e-mail: solecki20@wp.pl

Accepted for print: 16.03.2012