Whole-body vibration exposure and musculoskeletal complaints in urban mail carriers

This study explores the dose response between whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure and musculoskeletal complaints among mail carriers riding motorcycles for postal delivery. A questionnaire survey was performed and, then, daily exposure was determined. Questionnaire results indicate that male mail carriers (n=103, average 39.9±7.8 years) have a higher subjective pain than male back-office staff (n=34, average 49.5±5.1 years) in the post office at all investigated body regions. Twenty-five mail carriers (average 39.1 ±6.5 years) were recruited for determining the daily WBV exposures from carriers participating in the questionnaire survey. Only one mail carrier had a vibration dose value (VDV) exceeding the 17 m/s² boundary, indicating a high probability of adverse health, as specified by ISO 2631 -1 (1997) guidelines. However, 13 of the 25 evaluated mail carriers had S_ed exceeding the 0.8 MPa boundary, indicating a high probability of adverse health, as specified by ISO 2631-5 (2004) guidelines. Analytical results demonstrate that these mail carriers have experienced WBV containing high shocks. By integrating analytical results derived from a questionnaire survey and daily exposure measurements, we believe that a dose-response relationship may exist between WBV exposure and musculoskeletal complaints of postal workers.