Hand-arm vibration: Exposures to isolated and repeated shock vibrations – Review of the International Expert Workshop 2015 in Beijing

Abstract ISO 5349, developed by ISO Technical Committee ISO/TC 108, “Mechanical vibration and shock”, is the generic standard for the measurement and assessment of human vibration exposure. Ever since it was originally published in 1986, this standard has been unclear in its assessment of repeated isolated shocks. The current version of ISO 5349-1:2001 states in its scope that the time dependency for human response to repeated shocks is not fully known. Caution is therefore advised in the application of this part of ISO 5349 to such vibration (isolated shocks). In response to an initiative on the part of the ISO/TC 108 Technical Committee, a workshop was held at the 13th International Conference on Hand-Arm Vibration in Beijing in 2015 for the purpose of determining the current state of knowledge concerning exposure to repeated isolated shock vibration caused by machinery and tools and its pathophysiological and epidemiological assessment, and evaluating gaps in knowledge in the interests of future research activity.

This report contains the papers presented at the workshop. Part I provides an overview of the results of the workshop and of details of two papers. Part II contains a research report containing background information on two further papers presented at the workshop.