Assessment of Exposure to Whole-Body Vibration of Dozer Operators Based on Postural Variability Sandeep Kumar Kumar Jeripotula 1 & Aruna Mangalpady 1 & Govinda Raj Raj Mandela 1 Received: 20 September 2019 /Accepted: 2 January 2020 # Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration Inc. 2020 Abstract The main aim of this work is to evaluate whole-body vibration (WBV) of dozer operators based on three sitting postures (i.e., with 15° lean forward inclination posture, vertically erect posture with no inclination, and with 15° lean backward inclination posture) in Indian surface coal mines. A seat pad tri-axial accelerometer was used to collect WBV data from six dozer operators for three different sitting postures. Results showed that except for Dozer-1, 2, 4, and 5 operators during lean forward sitting posture and Dozer-4 operator during vertical erected posture, no other dozer operators have exceeded an exposure limit value (ELV) of 1.15 m/s 2 in any of the considered sitting postures. Similarly, the vibration dose value (VDV) based on exposure action value (EAV) of 9.1 m/s 1.75 has surpassed for all the dozers. But no dozer operator has exceeded an exposure limit value of 21 m/s 1.75 . The outcome of the study infers that based on “above health guidance caution zone (HGCZ)” for daily vibration exposure, i.e., A(8) measurements, for the operator sitting in lean backward postures the vibration amplification was reduced by 32.89% less compared with lean forward posture and 16.23% less when compared with vertically erected posture. Similarly, based on VDV(8), the exposure to vibration for the lean backward posture was reduced by 33.34% when compared with lean forward posture and 17.11% less when compared with vertically erected posture. Based on the above observation, it is concluded that lean back inclination with a trunk flexion of 15° is a favorable sitting posture, as it exposes the dozer operators to minimum vibration. Keywords Occupational health . Whole-body vibration . Mine safety . Ergonomic postures . Mine hazards 1 Introduction Track-mounted dozers are widely used in surface mines for performing different tasks like cleaning up overburden (OB) and coal around draglines, excavators, and shovels, and also for bench and land preparation. Dozers normally operate on different surfaces which include smooth overburden and coal floor. Whole-body vibration (WBV) within the frequency range of 0.5–80 Hz is transmitted to dozer operators via seat-surface. Various epidemiological studies reveal that WBV exposure over long term can impact physiological malfunctioning of digestive, endocrine, cardiovascular, repro- ductive, and metabolic systems, as well as being strongly as- sociated with subsequent development of back pain [1–5]. Heavy earth moving machinery (HEMM) operators working in mechanized mines spends most of their shift hours on the machinery, which obviously has enhanced the productivity, yet it has also increased risk to operator ’ s health due to prolonged exposure to vibration [6, 7]. It is experimentally proved that pain threshold due to WBV for the exposed per- son’s body part is 0.8 m/s 2 [8]. Exposure to WBV has accounted for the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the spine, when postural perspective is considered [9–16]. A review carried out on 15 of 19 WBV studies by NIOSH has shown significant positive association between exposure to WBVand low back pain [17]. National Institute of Miners Health (NIMH) has carried out a study on two mechanized mines in India in which 18% of the workers were reported to be at perilous levels of risk due to occupational exposure to vibration [18]. In India, though the Directorate General of Mines Safety * Sandeep Kumar Kumar Jeripotula sandeepnitk35@gmail.com Aruna Mangalpady arunamangalpady@gmail.com Govinda Raj Raj Mandela mandelaraj88@gmail.com 1 Department of Mining Engineering, NITK, Surathkal, NH 66, Srinivasnagar, Surathkal, Mangalore, Karnataka 575025, India Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-020-00175-z