A comparison of two standards to aid in the understanding of occupational whole body vibration

Abstract

Whole body vibration is any oscillating mechanical disturbance that vibrates within a frequency range of 0.5 to 80 hertz. There exist two vibration standards, International standard, ISO 2631 and British Standard, BS 6841, that attempt in different ways to evaluate human exposure to whole body vibration. It was found that the ISO standard, which uesd an equal sensation subjective method, has become outdated and that the newer British standard, which evaluates vibration levels using a more flexible vibration dose method is the preferred guide to use. Although both standards are only vibration evaluation guides, the continuing evolution of standards like ISO 2631 and BS 6841 will provide for better evaluation in the future. Key Words: Whole body vibration, BSI 6841, ISO 2631