16.08.2007
More for health and the environment
EU Directive 2002/44/EC on the protection of workers from the risks of exposure to physical agents (vibration) was incorporated into German law almost six months ago.
All companies are required to carry out risk analysis, and Linde's contractual partners are therefore offering a coordinated service package with immediate effect, to assist with the implementation of this analysis. The package includes providing sound advice, measuring human vibrations under actual operating conditions and evaluating these vibrations using graphical representation.
The new service package comprises two parts: firstly, measurement of vibrations as part of the risk assessment, and secondly, advice on measures for preventing or reducing exposure, health monitoring and additional obligations connected with the EU directive.
Human vibrations are measured using a seat measurement cushion, 20 cm long, which is placed on the driver's seat. A sensor integrated into the cushion accurately registers all impacts and vibrations to which the driver is exposed. At the end of the test run, the calculated exposure can be read off the display on a hand-held unit. In order to enable the creation of detailed analyses and individual measurement logs, the measured data is transferred to a laptop and evaluated using a software package. Moreover, by using the “Linde PureMotion calculation tool”, several series of measurements can be compared against each other, and the individual measured values can subsequently be illustrated in three-dimensional, coloured bar charts. The total value of all individual exposure values is presented as the “daily exposure value”. As a result, the Logistics responsible can establish what contribution each of the employee's individual activities makes to the total daily exposure value and whether, or by how much, this value exceeds legal limits. The crucial value is always the length of exposure, i.e. the length of time the employee is exposed to the vibration output each day. Loading and waiting times are not taken into account.
If the vibration outputs acting on an employee exceed the permissible A(8) trigger threshold of 0.5 m/s2, the person concerned must be informed and the employer is required to introduce preventative measures. If an A(8) exposure threshold of over 1.15 m/s2 (Z-axis 0.8 m/s2) is recorded, the company is obliged by law to put urgent measures into place, which can extend to prohibiting work. In the case of industrial trucks, preventative measures for eliminating or reducing the calculated representative measurement values include using vehicles with vibration-reducing technology (e.g. suspended driver cabin and seat), improving driving surface conditions or reducing in driving speed.
Linde Material Handling GmbH is based in Aschaffenburg and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks and warehouse vehicles. It is also one of the most important producers of hydrostatic and electric drives, which are used in its own trucks as well as in construction, farm and forestry machinery. Linde Material Handling GmbH is part of the KION Group, which is the European market leader in industrial trucks with the truck brands Linde, STILL and OM; in the global market, it holds second place. Linde Material Handling employs approximately 12,500 people worldwide and in 2006 recorded annual sales of almost EUR 2.6 billion.
