An investigation into the occupational risk in forklift drivers

Abstract

Low back pain and spinal disorders caused by whole-body vibration (WBV) are almost common in industrial machine operators’ society, especially forklift operators. In this study, WBV was studied while operators were performing their assigned tasks. Moreover, the effect of awkward static posture was separately investigated. Results revealed that the risk of injury caused by WBV at higher speeds and heavier loads is extremely high and some actions should be taken in order to guard against probable disorders in the operators. Accordingly, several interventions were proposed; for instance, reducing the speed of the forklifts and using air cushions on the seats can reduce the injury risk remarkably.