Whole Body Vibration During Tractor Driving

Abstract

Levels of whole body ride vibration were measured on tractors and other agricultural vehicles during a wide range of normal field operations. Most of the drivers were found to be exposed to vibration levels exceeding that considered safe for 8 hours exposure per day. The highest vibration levels were on tractors doing transport tasks. Regular exposure to such vibration is considered a health risk if it exceeds 2½ hours per day. Daily vibration dose received by drivers was estimated from a sample of 60 tractor driving days. During half of these days, the drivers were exposed to a vibration dose considered by BS 6841 to cause severe discomfort and increased risk of injury. Whole body vibration on agricultural vehicles is therefore likely to be a significant long term health risk for tractor drivers.