Palmer K T, Griffin M J, Bendall H, Pannett B, Coggon D
MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Community Clinical Sciences, University of Southampton, UK.
Occup Environ Med. 2000 Apr;57(4):218-28. doi: 10.1136/oem.57.4.218.
To estimate the number of workers in Great Britain with significant occupational exposure to hand transmitted vibration (HTV). Also, to identify the occupations and industries where such exposures arise, and the main sources of exposure.
A questionnaire was posted to 22,194 men and women aged 16-64, comprising 21,201 subjects selected at random from the age-sex registers of 34 general practices in England, Scotland, and Wales, and a further 993 subjects selected at random from the central pay registers of the three armed services. Among other things, the questionnaire asked about exposure to sources of HTV in current and earlier employment. Responses were assessed by occupation and industry, and prevalence estimates for the country as a whole were derived from census information on occupational and industrial populations nationally. Estimates were also made in exposed workers of the average daily dose of vibration (A(8) root mean squared (rms) for the past week, based on their reported sources and durations of exposure.
Usable questionnaires were returned by 12,907 subjects (overall response rate 58%). From these it was estimated that some 4.2 million men and 667 000 women in Great Britain are exposed to HTV at work in a 1 week period, and that personal daily exposures to vibration exceed a suggested action level equivalent to 2.8 ms(-2) for 8 hours (A(8) >2.8 ms(-2) rms) in at least 1.2 million men and 44,000 women. High estimated doses (A(8) >5 ms(-2) rms) arose most often in bricklayers and masons, gardeners and groundsmen, carpenters and joiners, electricians and electrical maintenance fitters, and builders and building contractors. The industries where high A(8) values most often arose were construction, motor vehicle repair and maintenance, manufacture of basic metals, and agriculture. The most common sources of exposure were hammer drills, hand held portable grinders, and jigsaws.
Exposure to HTV is surprisingly prevalent, and preventive measures and health surveillance may be warranted for many men in Britain. Control strategies should focus on prevention at source, with priority accorded to the common sources of exposure and the occupations in which significant exposures tend to arise. Many vibratory tools that are common in Britain have been overlooked in previous surveys, highlighting an important focus for future research.
估算英国有显著职业性手部传递振动（HTV）暴露的工人数量。同时，确定出现此类暴露的职业和行业，以及主要暴露源。
向22194名年龄在16 - 64岁的男性和女性发放问卷，其中包括从英格兰、苏格兰和威尔士34家全科诊所的年龄 - 性别登记册中随机抽取的21201名受试者，以及从三个武装部队的中央薪酬登记册中随机抽取的另外993名受试者。问卷除其他内容外，询问了当前和以前工作中HTV源的暴露情况。根据职业和行业对回答进行评估，并根据全国职业和行业人口的普查信息得出全国的患病率估计值。还根据报告的暴露源和暴露持续时间，对暴露工人过去一周的平均每日振动剂量（A(8)均方根（rms））进行了估计。
12907名受试者返回了可用问卷（总体回复率58%）。据此估计，在英国，约有420万男性和66.7万女性在一周内工作时接触HTV，并且至少120万男性和4.4万女性的个人每日振动暴露超过相当于2.8 ms(-2) 8小时的建议行动水平（A(8) >2.8 ms(-2) rms）。高估计剂量（A(8) >5 ms(-2) rms）最常出现在砖匠和泥瓦匠、园丁和场地工人、木匠和细木工、电工和电气维修钳工以及建筑工人和建筑承包商中。A(8)值高最常出现的行业是建筑业、机动车修理和维护业、基础金属制造业以及农业。最常见的暴露源是锤钻、手持式便携式磨床和线锯。
HTV暴露惊人地普遍，英国许多男性可能需要采取预防措施和进行健康监测。控制策略应注重源头预防，优先关注常见暴露源以及往往会出现显著暴露的职业。英国常见的许多振动工具在以前的调查中被忽视，这突出了未来研究的一个重要重点。
