Whole Body Vibration Simulation

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Study

We all experience whole body vibration (WBV), as a passenger on a bus, while we are driving a car, or when we are riding an ATV for recreation. In certain occupations, exposure to WBV is common in daily working life, such as tractor riding in agricultural work, operating a bulldozer in construction, or transporting product during long-haul trucking. Whole body vibrations, which are the shakes, bumps, and jolts that are transmitted from the vehicle to an occupant, can be problematic if the exposure is excessive. In the short-term, WBV is a contributing factor to fatal and non-fatal occupational injury, including equipment and machine-related injuries, falls, and vehicle crashes. Recent research has linked WBV to disturbances in position sense, balance, and visual performance, as well as reductions in vigilance and mental processing. In the longer term, WBV has been identified as a risk factor for a number of common disorders including low back pain, peripheral nervous system dysfunction, prostate disorders, and gastrointestinal problems.

Vibration aside, physically demanding work such as forceful and repetitive exertions, and mentally demanding work leading to decreased vigilance and cognitive fatigue, increase the risk of occupational incidents and long-term ill health effects. Since many occupational roles include physically and cognitively demanding tasks, as well as frequent exposure to WBV, there is a lack of knowledge on the combined effects on sensorimotor function and human performance.

The goal of this study is to measure changes in human performance when exposed to physically and mentally demanding work and realistic whole body vibrations. The results of this study may have implications on the development of work interventions, including strategies such as job rotation and work scheduling.     

Vibration Lab Schedule

Want to find out when we are doing vibration testing in the lab?  Check our calendar!  

Publications

Marcus Yung, Angelica E. Lang, Jamie Stobart, Aaron M. Kociolek, Stephan Milosavljevic, Catherine Trask (2017) The combined fatigue effects of sequential exposure to seated whole body vibration and physical, mental, and concurrent work demands. PLOS One. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0188468

Yung, Marcus; Tennant, Liana; Milosavljevic, Stephan; Trask, Catherine. (2017) Just shake it off: Is the human body tailored for whole body vibration. Nordic Ergonomic Society. Lund, Sweden. August 20-23, 2017.

Yung, Marcus; Lang, Angelica; Kociolek, Aaron M.; Milosavljevic, Stephan; Trask, Catherine. (2017) The combined multi-system effects of whole body vibration and physical and/or mental work demands. Nordic Ergonomic Society. Lund, Sweden. August 20-23, 2017.