ISO 2631–5:2018 standard for human vibration is relatively new. Comprehensive studies assessing the effectiveness of this standard in predicting health risks from whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure are limited. This study aimed to assess the risk of lumbar injury from long-term WBV exposure through biomechanical models as per ISO 2631–5:2018. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of self-reported low-back pain (LBP) among dumper operators using the standard Nordic questionnaire. Comprehensive occupational histories were recorded detailing age at first exposure to WBV, current lifetime exposure, and exposure duration per day and per year. Vibration levels were measured on the seat of the dumper using a tri-axial accelerometer (Nor 1286, Norsonic). Subsequently, biomechanical models, incorporating anatomical, postural, and anthropometric factors, were used to predict the risk of lumbar injury following ISO 2631–5:2018 guidelines. The overall prevalence of LBP in the previous 7 days and 12 months was approximately 33% and 46%, respectively. Equivalent daily compressive dose (SdA) and risk of injury factor (RA) were calculated for six spinal levels ranging from T12/L1 to L5/S1. SdA values ranged from 0.29 to 0.73 MPa, and RA factor values ranged from 0.27 to 0.93. The long-term health risk assessment according to ISO 2631–5:2018 revealed that most operators (98.4%, n = 60) fell into the low health risk category based on RA values, despite the presence of self-reported LBP in the study population. A binary logistic regression analysis indicated a statistically significant association between RA values and self-reported LBP over 12 months (p < 0.001). Two-sample t-test with bootstrap revealed a statistically significant difference in mean RA values between individuals with and without LBP (p < 0.001), highlighting the potential association between RA values and the presence of self-reported LBP. Despite our study’s majority falling into low-risk categories by ISO 2631–5:2018, high LBP prevalence suggests limitations in current risk thresholds. Such inconsistencies raise concerns about accurately estimating health risks from WBV exposure, urging revisions to standards based on comprehensive data.

Association of Risk of Lumbar Injury Outlined in ISO 2631–5:2018 with Self-Reported Low Back Pain Among Dumper Operators in Opencast Coal Mine

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发表日期：

2025年5月10日

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Amit Sharma,
Ashish Kumar,
Bibhuti Bhusan Mandal

摘要

ISO 2631–5:2018 standard for human vibration is relatively new. Comprehensive studies assessing the effectiveness of this standard in predicting health risks from whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure are limited. This study aimed to assess the risk of lumbar injury from long-term WBV exposure through biomechanical models as per ISO 2631–5:2018. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of self-reported low-back pain (LBP) among dumper operators using the standard Nordic questionnaire. Comprehensive occupational histories were recorded detailing age at first exposure to WBV, current lifetime exposure, and exposure duration per day and per year. Vibration levels were measured on the seat of the dumper using a tri-axial accelerometer (Nor 1286, Norsonic). Subsequently, biomechanical models, incorporating anatomical, postural, and anthropometric factors, were used to predict the risk of lumbar injury following ISO 2631–5:2018 guidelines. The overall prevalence of LBP in the previous 7 days and 12 months was approximately 33% and 46%, respectively. Equivalent daily compressive dose (S_d^A) and risk of injury factor (R^A) were calculated for six spinal levels ranging from T12/L1 to L5/S1. S_d^A values ranged from 0.29 to 0.73 MPa, and R^A factor values ranged from 0.27 to 0.93. The long-term health risk assessment according to ISO 2631–5:2018 revealed that most operators (98.4%, n = 60) fell into the low health risk category based on R^A values, despite the presence of self-reported LBP in the study population. A binary logistic regression analysis indicated a statistically significant association between R^A values and self-reported LBP over 12 months (p < 0.001). Two-sample t-test with bootstrap revealed a statistically significant difference in mean R^A values between individuals with and without LBP (p < 0.001), highlighting the potential association between R^A values and the presence of self-reported LBP. Despite our study’s majority falling into low-risk categories by ISO 2631–5:2018, high LBP prevalence suggests limitations in current risk thresholds. Such inconsistencies raise concerns about accurately estimating health risks from WBV exposure, urging revisions to standards based on comprehensive data.