Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (한국산업보건학회지)

Korean Industrial Hygiene Association (한국산업보건학회)
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Evaluation of Hand-Arm Vibration Exposure Level and Work Environment Satisfaction of Workers in Automobile Manufacturer Assembly Process

자동차 제조업체 조립공정 근로자의 국소진동 노출 수준 및 작업환경 만족도 평가

  • Seong-Hyun Park (Graduate School of Public Health and Healthcare Management, The Catholic University of Korea) ;
  • Mo-Yeol Kang (Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea) ;
  • Seung Won Kim (Department of Public Health, Keimyung University) ;
  • Sangjun Choi (Graduate School of Public Health and Healthcare Management, The Catholic University of Korea)
  • 박성현 (가톨릭대학교 보건의료경영대학원) ;
  • 강모열 (가톨릭대학교 서울성모병원 직업환경의학과) ;
  • 김승원 (계명대학교 공중보건학과) ;
  • 최상준 (가톨릭대학교 보건의료경영대학원)
  • Received : 2023.01.04
  • Accepted : 2023.04.01
  • Published : 2023.06.30
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Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposure levels due to the use of power hand tools and to evaluate the determinants in the automobile assembly process. Methods: The exposure level to HAV was evaluated for 30 work lines in five assembly processes (body, engine, chassis, door, and design) that use air-powered tools and battery-powered tools and operate in circulation for two hours. The 2-hr equivalent energy vibration acceleration, A (2), of the task was measured. The 8-hr equivalent energy vibration acceleration, A (8), was estimated in consideration of the number of tasks that can be performed per day by each process. In addition, a survey on the working environment was conducted with workers exposed to vibration. Results: The geometric mean of the HAV exposure level, A (2), for a total of 30 tasks was 2.51 m/s2, and one case was 10.30 m/s2, exceeding TLV (2hr). The HAV exposure level of A (8) was evaluated from 1.03 m/s2 to 5.36 m/s2. A (2) showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.01) for each process, and the chassis process (GM=3.90 m/s2) was the highest. The larger the tool size and the longer the tool length, the higher was the vibration acceleration when using a battery-powered tool than an air-powered tool (P<0.01). Battery-powered tool users showed higher dissatisfaction on all items than did air-powered tool users. Conclusions: As a result of this study, it is necessary to implement a program to reduce the HAV exposure levels.

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References

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