Assessment of hand-arm vibration exposure among motorcyclist in Malaysia

Abstract

Motorcyclists are road users that highly exposed to hand-arm vibration that may contribute to body discomfort and fatigue that eventually will lead to road accidents and injuries. The two main objectives of this study are to identify the body parts that experience discomfort among motorcyclist and to understand the vibration exposure effect on different road types. In this study, two research methodologies were used; first, a survey questionnaire of 100 motorcyclists and second, an experimental study on hand-arm vibration (HAV) measurement exposed on motorcyclist using accelerometer mounted on the right side handlebars of the motorcycle. Two male respondents with a different weight range, 45-65 kg and >70 kg are selected for this experiment. The experiment was conducted on two different types of roads: tarmac road and pave road within a speed limit of 20-40 m/s??. Results of the study showed that the motorcyclist usually experienced body discomfort at lower back, upper back, wrist, buttock and neck area. The root-mean-square (r.m.s) frequency weighted acceleration on the handlebars of the motorcycles was in the range of 0.07 m/s r.m.s for the tarmac road and 0.42 m/s r.m.s for the pave road. This value shows that different road type is affecting the vibration exposed to the motorcyclist. Clearly there's a vibration felt by the motorcyclist but not on the degree of causing pain but a prolonged exposure to this vibration may induce discomfort and injuries.