Investigation of Effects Caused by Vibration on the Drivers of Military Speedboats: A Field Study

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

1 Marine Medicine Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Ergonomics, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

3 Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health and Safety, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 Health Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Aim: Exposure to hand-arm vibration is a common physical harmful factor. Floating jobs and working in small boats are among the jobs that people are always exposed to a high level of vibration and noise. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects caused by vibration on the drivers of military speedboats.
Methods: The present study is a quasi-experimental study. In this study, 52 drivers of military speedboats were selected as the case group and 27 as the control group. In this study, demographic variables questionnaire, DASH questionnaire and grip strength test (grip and pinch) of fingers and hands were used. All analyzes were performed using SPSS software version 23.
Results: The results showed that the symptoms of vibration disorders in the case group are more than the control group. The case group, due to their higher score, is in a worse situation in terms of inability to arm, shoulder and hand compared to the control group. The mean grip strength of hands and fingers in both hands was lower in the case group than in the control group. There is a statistically significant relationship between the grip strength of the case and control groups.
Conclusion: Physical function is reduced in people exposed to vibration. Dash score level and grip strength can be used as a predictor of reduced physical disability.

Keywords


1. DeBord F, Hennessy W, McDonald J. Measurement and analysis of shipboard vibrations. Marine Technology and SNAME News. 1998;35(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.5957/mt1.1998.35.1.1 2. Taghizadeh Aa, Mohtasebi Ss, Ghobadian B, Kazemi M, Tavakoli Ht. Simulation of vibration for a diesel engine with biodiesel and diesel fuel blends using artificial neural networks. 2011. 3. Soltani A, Aliabadi M, Golmohammadi R, Motamedzade M. Experimental study of the level of manual performance disability caused by exposure to hand-arm vibration among automobile casting workers. Journal of Ergonomics. 2018;6(1):40-9. https://doi.org/10.30699/jergon.6.1.40 4. Coggins MA, Van lente E, Mccallig M, Paddan G, Moore K. Evaluation of hand-arm and whole-body vibrations in construction and property management. Annals of occupational hygiene. 2010;54(8):904-14. 5. Dimitrova T, Karaslavova E. Vibrations in the working environment and risk of acute myocardial infarction. Meditsinski Pregled/Medical Review. 2008;44(4):54-7. 6. Björ B, Burström L, Nilsson T, Reuterwall C. Vibration exposure and myocardial infarction incidence: the VHEEP case-control study. Occupational medicine. 2006;56(5):338-44. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kql024 7. Pourtaghi GH, Hekmat M, Rafati Shaldehi H, Salem M. Hospital incidents' prevalence rate and its effective agents in the staff of a military hospital. Journal of Military Medicine. 2011;13(1):53-7. 8. Babamiri M, Heidarimoghadam R, Saidnia H, Mohammadi Y, Joudaki J. Investigation of the Role of Mental Workload, Fatigue, and Sleep Quality in the Development of Musculoskeletal Disorders. Journal of Occupational Hygiene Engineering Volume. 2019;5(4):1-7. https://doi.org/10.29252/johe.5.4.1 9. Zare S, Ghotbiravandi MR, Elahishirvan H, Ahsaeed MG, Rostami M, Esmaeili R. Modeling and predicting the changes in hearing loss of workers with the use of a neural network data mining algorithm: A field study. Archives of Acoustics. 2020;45. 10. Aliabadi MM, Esmaeili R, Mohammadfam I, Ashrafi M. Application of a standardized plant analysis risk-human reliability method to pipeline inspection gauge operations. Journal of Occupational Hygiene Engineering Volume. 2019;6(3):34-43. 11. Mirzaei Aliabadi M, Esmaeili R, Mohammadfam I, Ashrafi M. Human reliability analysis (HRA) using standardized plant analysis risk-human (SPAR-H) and bayesian network (BN) for pipeline inspection gauges (PIG) operation: a case study in a gas transmission plant. Health Scope. 2019;8(3).https://doi.org/10.5812/jhealthscope.87148 12. Shibata N. Subjective response of standing persons exposed to fore-aft, lateral and vertical whole-body vibration. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. 2015;49:116-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2015.01.012 13. Monazam Esmaeelpour M, Shoja E, Zakeriyan SA, Rahimi Foroushani A, Gharaee M. The effect of whole body vibration (WBV) on discomfort, heart rate and reaction time in men 20 to 30 years. Iran Occupational Health. 2018;15(2):11-20. 14. Bhiwapurkar M, Saran V, Harsha S. Effect of multi-axis whole body vibration exposures and subject postures on typing performance. International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology. 2010;2(8):3614-20.https://doi.org/10.4314/ijest.v2i12.64564 15. Parsons KC, Griffin MJ. The effect of rotational vibration in roll and pitch axes on the discomfort of seated subjects. Ergonomics. 1978;21(8):615-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140137808931763 16. Azmir NA, Ghazali MI, Yahya MN, Ali MH. Hand-arm vibration disorder among grass-cutter workers in Malaysia. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. 2016;22(3):433-8.https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2016.1150571 17. Costa N, Arezes P, Melo R. Effects of occupational vibration exposure on cognitive/motor performance. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. 2014;44(5):654-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2014.07.005 18. Gerhardsson L, Hagberg M. Work ability in vibration-exposed workers. Occupational Medicine. 2014;64(8):629-34.https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqu121 19. Choy N, Sim CS, Yoon JK, Kim SH, Park HO, Lee JH, et al. A case of Raynaud's Phenomenon of both feet in a rock drill operator with hand-arm vibration syndrome. Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2008;20(2):119-26. https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2008.20.2.119 20. Saeidnia H, Babamiri M, Mortezapour A, Kalatpour O, Soltanian A. Effect of Individual Variables on Perception of Effort-Reward Imbalance and Need for Fatigue Recovery in Industrial Firefighters. Journal of Occupational Hygiene Engineering Volume. 2018;5(3):1-9. https://doi.org/10.21859/johe.5.3.1 21. Choobineh A, Mohammadian M. Comparison of grip and pinch strengths of adults among five cities of Iran. Journal of School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research. 2014;11(3):65-81. 22. Abdoli-Eramaki M. Body mechanics and workstation design principles (ergonomics). Tehran Omide Majd Publ. 2000:241-50. 23. Allahyari T, Jafari S, Khalkhali H. Measuring power hand grip strength in a sample of students aged 19-36 in Urmia. Journal of Ergonomics. 2015;3(3):44-50. 24. Pourtaghi G, Karimi Zarchi A, Valipour F, Assari A. Ergonomic assessment using RULA technique in determining the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomic conditions for administrative jobs in a military center. Journal of Military Medicine. 2015;17(3):155-62. 25. Massy-Westropp N, Rankin W, Ahern M, Krishnan J, Hearn TC. Measuring grip strength in normal adults: reference ranges and a comparison of electronic and hydraulic instruments. The Journal of hand surgery. 2004;29(3):514-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhsa.2004.01.012 26. Soury S, Habibi E. Measuring factors affecting grip strength base on ASHT (American society of hand therapists. Journal of Health System Research. 2015;10(4):719-28. 27. Ruiz-Ruiz J, Mesa JL, Gutiérrez A, Castillo MJ. Hand size influences optimal grip span in women but not in men. The Journal of hand surgery. 2002;27(5):897-901. https://doi.org/10.1053/jhsu.2002.34315 28. Cao S, Zhou R, Zhou H, Chen Y, Cui H, Lu Z, et al. Reliability and validity of Simplified Chinese version of Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire: cross-cultural adaptation and validation. Clinical Rheumatology. 2019;38(11):3281-7.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-019-04661-8 29. Prodinger B, Hammond A, Tennant A, Prior Y, Tyson S. Revisiting the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) and QuickDASH in rheumatoid arthritis. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2019;20(1):41.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-019-2414-6 30. Roberts HC, Denison HJ, Martin HJ, Patel HP, Syddall H, Cooper C, et al. A review of the measurement of grip strength in clinical and epidemiological studies: towards a standardised approach. Age and ageing. 2011;40(4):423-9.https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afr051 31. Allahyari T, Khalkhali H, Jafari S. Measuring power hand grip strength in a sample of students aged 19-36 in Urmia. Journal of Ergonomics. 2015;3(3):44-50. 32. Buhaug K, Moen BE, Irgens Å. Upper limb disability in Norwegian workers with hand-arm vibration syndrome. Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology. 2014;9(1):1-7. https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6673-9-5 33. Carlsson IK, Rosén B, Dahlin LB. Self-reported cold sensitivity in normal subjects and in patients with traumatic hand injuries or hand-arm vibration syndrome. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2010;11(1):1-10.https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2474-11-89 34. House R, Wills M, Liss G, Switzer-McIntyre S, Manno M, Lander L. Upper extremity disability in workers with hand-arm vibration syndrome. Occupational medicine. 2009;59(3):167-73. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqp016 35. Griffin MJ, Bovenzi M. The diagnosis of disorders caused by hand-transmitted vibration: Southampton Workshop 2000. International archives of occupational and environmental health. 2002;75(1):1-5.https://doi.org/10.1007/s004200100271 36. Liao K-H. Hand grip strength in low, medium, and high body mass index males and females. Middle East Journal of Rehabilitation and Health. 2016;3(1).https://doi.org/10.17795/mejrh-33860 37. Mohammadian M, Choobineh A, Haghdoost AA, Hashemi Nejad N. Investigation of grip and pinch strengths in Iranian adults and their correlated anthropometric and demographic factors. Work. 2016;53(2):429-37.https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-152180 38. McNeill LH, Stoddard A, Bennett GG, Wolin KY, Sorensen GG. Influence of individual and social contextual factors on changes in leisure-time physical activity in working-class populations: results of the Healthy Directions-Small Businesses Study. Cancer Causes & Control. 2012;23(9):1475-87.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-0021-z 39. Ghaderi A, Mostafavi F, Mahaki B, Sadeghi E, Afkhamzadeh A, Zarezadeh Y. Background determinants of physical activity among Iranian nurses: a cross sectional study. World Family Medicine Journal: Incorporating the Middle East Journal of Family Medicine. 2018;99(5832):1-6. https://doi.org/10.5742/MEWFM.2018.93255 40. Burton NW, Turrell G. Occupation, hours worked, and leisure-time physical activity. Preventive medicine. 2000;31(6):673-81.https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.2000.0763 41. Moradi S, Khorrami L, Zare F, Ali-akbar S, Maghbooli Z, Mirzaei K. Physical activity as a popssible predictor of bone mineral density in the hip and lumbar spine areas in women in postmenopausal years. Journal of School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research. 2017;14(4):73-86. 42. Sharifian Z, Ordudari Z, Habibi E. Relationship between the Physical Activity with Grip and Pinch Strength in Municipality Workers. J Health Syst Res. 2019;15(3):224-30. 43. Haward BM, Griffin MJ. Repeatability of grip strength and dexterity tests and the effects of age and gender. International archives of occupational and environmental health. 2002;75(1):111-9.https://doi.org/10.1007/s004200100285 44. Hanten WP, Chen W-Y, Austin AA, Brooks RE, Carter HC, Law CA, et al. Maximum grip strength in normal subjects from 20 to 64 years of age. Journal of hand therapy. 1999;12(3):193-200.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0894-1130(99)80046-5 45. Mathiowetz V, Kashman N, Volland G, Weber K, Dowe M, Rogers S. Grip and pinch strength: normative data for adults. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation. 1985;66(2):69-74. 46. Yu R, Ong S, Cheung O, Leung J, Woo J. Reference values of grip strength, prevalence of low grip strength, and factors affecting grip strength values in Chinese adults. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2017;18(6):551. e9-. e16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.03.006 47. Adedoyin RA, Ogundapo FA, Mbada CE, Adekanla BA, Johnson OE, Onigbinde TA, et al. Reference Values for Handgrip Strength Among Healthy Adults in Nigeria. Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal. 2009;27(1):21-9.https://doi.org/10.1016/S1013-7025(10)70005-1 48. Mathiowetz V. Comparison of Rolyan and Jamar dynamometers for measuring grip strength. Occupational therapy international. 2002;9(3):201-9.https://doi.org/10.1002/oti.165 49. Schlüssel MM, dos Anjos LA, de Vasconcellos MTL, Kac G. Reference values of handgrip dynamometry of healthy adults: A population-based study. Clinical Nutrition. 2008;27(4):601-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2008.04.004 50. Taekema DG, Gussekloo J, Maier AB, Westendorp RGJ, de Craen AJM. Handgrip strength as a predictor of functional, psychological and social health. A prospective population-based study among the oldest old. Age and Ageing. 2010;39(3):331-7. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afq022 51. Hagberg M. Clinical assessment of musculoskeletal disorders in workers exposed to hand-arm vibration. International archives of occupational and environmental health. 2002;75(1):97-105.https://doi.org/10.1007/s004200100283 52. Bovenzi M, Della Vedova A, Nataletti P, Alessandrini B, Poian T. Work-related disorders of the upper limb in female workers using orbital sanders. International archives of occupational and environmental health. 2005;78(4):303-10.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-004-0574-6