Starck J, Pyykkö I, Koskimies K, Pekkarinen J
Institute of Occupational Health, Department of Physics, Helsinki, Finland.
Nagoya J Med Sci. 1994 May;57 Suppl:203-10.
The number of annually compensated occupational diseases due to exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV) has decreased during the last 15 years. The number of exposed workers has been declining in Finland, especially in forestry work, as harvesters have increasingly replaced manual chain saw operations. During the entire 1970s, forest work caused more cases of vibration-induced occupational diseases than all industrial branches together. The decrease is mainly due to the technical development of chain saws, but also to the effective health care services in Finland. Other factors such as warm transport, warm rest cabins in which to take pauses at work, warm meals, adequate protective clothing, and vocationally adjusted early medical rehabilitation have helped to cut down health hazards, especially in forest work. The number of new cases has been decreasing in Finland not only in forestry but also in other industries. In Finland a considerable amount of research has been conducted to hand-arm vibration, resulting in the increased awareness of the health risks related to certain occupations. This has helped to carry out the Primary Health Care Act (1972) followed by the Occupational Health Care Act (1979) which obligates employers to arrange occupational health care for their employees. We believe that the research activity has contributed significantly to achieving the present health in Finnish work places. The purpose of the present paper is to describe the cases of occupational exposure to HAV, and the effectiveness of different preventive measures in Finland.
在过去15年中，因接触手臂振动（HAV）而每年获得补偿的职业病数量有所下降。在芬兰，接触振动的工人数量一直在减少，尤其是在林业工作中，因为收割机越来越多地取代了手工链锯作业。在整个20世纪70年代，林业工作导致的振动引起的职业病病例比所有工业部门加起来还要多。这种下降主要归因于链锯的技术发展，也得益于芬兰有效的医疗保健服务。其他因素，如温暖的交通工具、工作时可休息的温暖休息小屋、热餐、足够的防护服以及根据职业调整的早期医疗康复，都有助于减少健康危害，尤其是在林业工作中。芬兰新病例的数量不仅在林业，而且在其他行业都在减少。在芬兰，针对手臂振动进行了大量研究，提高了人们对某些职业健康风险的认识。这有助于实施《初级卫生保健法》（1972年），随后是《职业保健法》（1979年），该法规定雇主必须为其雇员安排职业保健。我们认为，研究活动对芬兰工作场所目前的健康状况做出了重大贡献。本文的目的是描述芬兰职业性接触HAV的病例以及不同预防措施的有效性。
