SweJEM: Vibrations

Whole-body-vibrations 

The job-exposure matrix (JEM), for Whole body vibrations (WBV), estimate the daily 8-hour energy-equivalent frequency-weighted exposure value (m/s²) by measured vibration levels and duration of exposure, according to the international standard (ISO 2631-1). The daily vibration levels were based on a large number of measurements from different vehicles and heavy equipment machinery collected from scientific articles (n=32), occupational medicine clinic reports (n=19), reports from the former National institute for Workers Life in Sweden and the national Swedish vibration database and literature reviews (n=3). The classification was performed by one occupational hygienist and one researcher specialized in vibration exposure. The JEM was constructed for 5-year periods between 1970 and today's date, allowing the WBV exposure to vary over time within each occupational code. There were 31 occupations identified with exposure ≥0.1 m/s², and from all the measurement data, 78 daily 8-hour energy-equivalent frequency-weighted values were calculated for at least one of the time-periods for each occupation with WBV exposure. 

Hand-arm-vibrations  

The job-exposure matrix (JEM) for Hand-arm vibrations (HAV) has time-specific estimates of HAV exposure for different occupational codes. HAV exposure was calculated as a daily 8-hour equivalent vibration level (A(8)) for each occupation. The A(8) value is calculated by multiplying the acceleration, for each hand-held vibrating machine used for each occupation, with the average operating duration for each machine, according to international standards (ISO 5349–1). The vibration levels for each handheld tools included in the given occupation was obtained from the Swedish National Vibration Database (https://www.vibration.db.umu.se/app/) and reports on measurements from different organizations (n = 27). A(8) values and vibration levels from specific hand-held machines were gathered from literature reviews, scientific articles, and occupational medicine clinic reports (n = 63). The JEM thus consists of the occupational code and the assigned A(8) value. The JEM has been coded in the Swedish coding systems FoB80, FoB85, SSYK96 and SSYK2012. These are all based on different versions of the International Standard Classification of Occupations ISCO-code system. The JEM was constructed for 5-year periods between 1970 and today’s date, allowing the HAV exposure to vary over time within each occupational code.

Publications

Occupational exposure to whole-body vibrations and pregnancy complications: a nationwide cohort study in Sweden.
Skröder H, Pettersson H, Albin M, Gustavsson P, Rylander L, Norlén F, Selander J
Occup Environ Med 2020 Oct;77(10):691-698

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Hand-Arm Vibration: A Swedish National Registry Case-Control Study.
Vihlborg P, Pettersson H, Makdoumi K, Wikström S, Bryngelsson IL, Selander J, Graff P
J Occup Environ Med 2022 Mar;64(3):197-201

Contact

swejem@ki.se