Whole-Body Vibration: Risk Description

The Directive 2002/44/EC provides the following definition of whole-body vibration:

"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.”

It is well known that different working activities carried out by sitting on transport vehicles or materials handling vehicles expose the body to vibration or impacts that can be harmful to exposed individuals.

Table 3 provides a list of machines or processes that regularly expose workers to vibration levels such as to fall within the scope of current regulations.

Table 3 - Examples of sources of whole-body vibration exposure risk

Machinery	Main usage areas
Scrapers, power shovels, excavators	Construction, stone, agriculture, mines, dock handling etc.
Breakers	Stone, construction sites
Tractors, combine harvesters	Agriculture
Lift Trucks	Construction sites, industrial and dock handling etc.
Fifth wheel tractors	Construction sites, industrial and dock handling etc.
Trucks, buses	Transports, forwarding services etc.
Motorboats, dinghies, boats	Transports, maritime industry
Rail transports	Transports, industrial handling
Helicopters	Civil protection, Police force, etc.
Motorcycles, scooters	Police force, postal services, forwarding and delivery services etc.
Truck cranes, cranes	Construction sites, industrial and dock handling etc.
Vibrating plate compactors	Vibrated concrete, several industrial applications
Ambulances	Health