Background and Objectives: city bus drivers, during driving, are always exposed to the whole body vibration. This can lead to central- neural, musculoskeletal, and blood circulation disorders and develop occupational diseases due to vibration. The objective of this descriptive- analytic study is to investigate Tehran bus drivers' exposure to the whole body vibration.
Materials and Methods: We measured parameters related to the whole body vibration, such as acceleration of the frequency weighted root sum of squares, the overall equivalent acceleration, vibration dose value, and crest factor were measured separately at three directions (X, Y, Z) in 80 buses in 5 different types, which were selected randomly. The results obtained were compared with ISO 2631: 1997 Standard, and finally permitted driving time was calculated for different buses.
Results: Acceleration of the frequency weighted root mean of squares at X, Y axes in all of the buses was below the district of health warning and at Z axis, it was in the district of health warning, while the overall equivalent acceleration in Icarus buses was above the district of health warning and in other buses it was in the district of health warning according to standard ISO 2631: 1997. Vibration dose value (VDV) was less than 8.5 and crest factor was less than 9 and in all of the buses, it was less than the suggested permitted limits of ISO 2631: 1997 standard. Moreover, permitted driving time was estimated less than 8 hours per day and Icarus buses had the most and Man buses had the least vibration acceleration, crest factor, and vibration dose value respectively.
Conclusion: According to the results obtained, there is the possibility of developing potential health risks in bus drivers; therefore, it is recommended that the health and safe managers consider decrease of working hours and increase of rest time while purchasing new buses.