Assessment of the uncertainty in human exposure to vibration: an experimental study

The purpose of this work is to analyze and to quantify the contributions of measurement uncertainty in the human exposure to vibrations. Typically, the high-level vibrations exposure in workplace can cause the onset of pathologies affecting musculoskeletal, vascular and neurological systems. Regulations and Standards lay down the assessment of the health risks arising from vibrations by using specific instruments and a proper measurement procedure. This paper proposes a methodology for the uncertainty evaluation of exposure to hand-arm and whole-body vibrations; as a main contribution, the uncertainty analysis of daily exposure hand-arm vibrations and whole-body vibrations is provided in order to estimate the exposition vibrations and to reduce the risks of the worker. This activity was developed in collaboration with Military Navy Arsenal in Taranto (South Italy), which is active all along in the protection of health and the safety in the workplace