Assessment of exposure to hand-arm vibration and its related health effects in workers employed in stone cutting workshops of Hamadan city

The workers employed in stone cutting industries are exposed to hand-arm vibration and its complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate exposure to handarm vibration and its health effects on workers in stone cutting workshops. Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, 40 workers of Hamadan city stone cutting, who worked with stone cutting machines, were examined. Measuring exposure to handarm vibration was performed by standard methods ISO 5349. Symptoms related to handarm vibration syndrome, using a questionnaire, were studied. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Results showed that eight-hour equivalent acceleration of hand-arm vibration exposure in stone cutting workers exceeded the permissible exposure levels of the country (P > 0.05). Highest average hand and arm vibration acceleration was measured in the Z axis. The average vibration acceleration hand-arm and cutting transverse and longitudinal cutting significant difference was observed (P > 0.05). conclusions: In regard to exposure level of stone cutting workers compared with the national exposure limit, the training of health care, non-smoking, and use of anti-vibration gloves, work rotations canthe effective in reducing the risk of health effects. Furthermore, it seems essential to track the health effects associated with human vibration by use of screening tests in the work place seem. Received: 10.04.2016 Accepted: 25.07.2016