Hand-Arm Vibration Exposure in Rock Drill Workers: A Comparison between Measurements with Hand-Attached and Tool-Attached Accelerometers.

Objectives: To assess the hazard of tool vibrations, we need valid exposure measurements. The use of hand-attached accelerometers (vibration sensors) to measure hand-arm vibrations (HAVs) has become a popular approach. However, according to International Standard ISO 5349-2, the preferred attachment of accelerometers is at the tool handle. We compared measures of HAV between hand- and tool-attached accelerometers in rock drilling.

Methods: We measured HAV in five rock drillers using jackleg drills in normal working operations with simultaneous measures of both hand-attached and tool-attached accelerometers. Five to seven measurement cycles of 15 s were executed on each worker, resulting in a total of 29 measurement cycles. To identify possible differences in working technique, we recorded videos of tool handle handgrips during drilling.

Results: There was a significant difference (9.5 m s-2; P ≤ 0.05) in vibration magnitudes measured by the tool-attached accelerometers compared with the hand-attached accelerometers. The hand-attached accelerometer showed a lower vibration magnitude for all workers (range of difference: 2.3-14.6). The variation between the two accelerometer attachments was larger between workers than within workers (ICC = 0.68).

Conclusions: For measurements of HAV from jackleg drills, the use of hand-attached accelerometers may cause a lower recorded vibration level compared with tool-attached accelerometers. This difference is likely to vary depending on how workers grip the tool handle, and a misclassification of exposure will occur if workers grip the tool handle in a way that makes the accelerometer lose contact with the vibrating surface. Individual differences in how workers grip the tool handles should be considered when assessing HAV.