Skidder Operator Vibration Exposure

The exposure of workers to vibration is expressed as energy equivalent A(8), which is determined by the procedure clearly described in the international standard ISO 5349-1-2001. A(8) is a value that depends not only on the vibration level in certain operating procedures, but also on the duration of exposure. Research was conducted on Ecotrac 120 V and Ecotrac 140 V, the most used skidders in Croatian forestry. Vibration on the steering wheel and seat of the skidders was measured by vibrometer with triaxial accelerometer. Measurements were performed at three characteristic engine operating modes: idling, at maximum torque and full throttle. Daily exposure to vibration of a skidder operator A(8) is calculated based on structural data of daily working times in different working conditions as well as distribution of three characteristic engine operating modes of effective time. The results show differences in vibration levels between different types of tractors and working conditions. The research was carried out within the project “Development of hybrid skidder—HiSkid” co-financed by European Regional Fund in the scope of European Union Operational Program “Competitiveness and Cohesion” 2014–2020 (2014HR16M1OP00-1.2).