OBJECTIVES To determine the extent of hand transmitted vibration exposure problems, particularly hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), among construction workers in Malaysia. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted on a construction site in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 243 workers were recruited. Questionnaire interviews and hand examinations were administered to 194 respondents. Vibration mag...

OBJECTIVES To compare the noise and vibration levels associated with three hand-held rock drills (pneumatic, hydraulic and electric) currently used in South African mines, and a prototype acoustically shielded self-propelled rock drill. METHODS Equivalent A-weighted sound pressure levels were recorded on a geometrical grid, using Rion NL-11 and NL-14 sound level meters. Vibration measurements...

BACKGROUND Impaired motor control of the upper extremity after stroke may be related to lost sensory, motor, and integrative functions of the brain. Artificial activation of sensory afferents might improve control of movement by adding excitatory drive to sensorimotor control structures. The authors evaluated the effect of wrist tendon vibration (TV) on paretic upper-arm stability during point-...

The hand-tool coupling force in the operation of a vibrating tool is generally composed of applied force (AF) and biodynamic force (BF). There is wide interest in quantifying the coupling force. The objectives of this study are to develop an effective method for estimating the BF and to investigate its fundamental characteristics. Using the biodynamic response of the hand-arm system, such as ap...

Exposure to hand-transmitted vibration is usually assessed according to International Standard ISO 5349-1:2001 using the frequency weighting W(h). This paper compares eight frequency weightings that might be used to supplement or replace W(h). The comparison is based on a data from two databases, one containing over 7200 measured hand-arm vibration (HAV) spectra from a wide range of industrial ...

Muscle spindle afferents are known to influence the conscious appreciation of limb position. If a limb muscle is mechanically vibrated while the limb is physically restrained from moving under the action of the resulting tonic vibration reflex, illusory motion of the limb will be experienced in the direction that would be associated with stretch of the vibrated muscle. Two experiments are prese...

This study investigated the biodynamic response (BR) distributed at the palm of the hand subjected to a random vibration. Twelve male subjects were used in the experiment. Each subject applied three coupling actions (grip-only, push-only, and combined grip and push) on a simulated tool handle at three different levels (50, 75, and 100 N) of palm force. This study found that the hand-arm system ...

vibration from the operation of industrial implements can be harmful to the human body. these implements, such as the power tiller or hand tractor often used to till rice in northern iran, can vibrate the entire body or one part, particularly the hands. in this research, the transmissibility and effects of vibration from a mitsubishi power tiller of 7.7 hp and 2400 rpm on the operator’s health ...