International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718

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International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics

journal homepage: [Link]/locate/ergon

Whole-body vibration exposure experienced by motorcycle riders – An evaluation

according to ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5 standards
Hsieh-Ching Chen a, *, Wei-Chyuan Chen a, Yung-Ping Liu a, Chih-Yong Chen b, Yi-Tsong Pan b
a
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, No. 168 Jifong E. Rd., Wufong, Taichung County 41349, Taiwan
b
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan, No. 99, Lane 407, Hengke Rd., Sijhih, Taipei County 22143, Taiwan

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Riders of twelve motorcycles, comprising 6 full-scale motorbikes and 6 motor-scooters, and 5 sedan
Received 18 December 2007 vehicles, performed test runs on a 20.6 km paved road composed of 5 km, 5 km, and 10.6 km of rural,
Received in revised form provincial and urban routes, respectively. Each test run of motorcycle was separately performed under
14 March 2009
speed limits of 55 km/h and 40 km/h. Tri-axial accelerations of whole-body vibration (WBV) were
Accepted 24 May 2009
Available online 21 June 2009
obtained by using a seat pad and a portable data logger, and the driver’s view was videotaped with
a portable media recorder. Root mean square (RMS) acceleration, 8-h estimated vibration dose value
(VDV(8)) and 8-h estimated daily dose of static compression dose (Sed) were determined from the
Keywords:
Whole-body vibration collected data in accordance with ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5 standards. Experimental results indicate
Vibration exposure that the WBV values of the sedan vehicle drivers have low RMS, VDV(8) and Sed values (RMS 0.27–0.32 m/s2;
ISO 2631-1 VDV(8) 6.3–8.3 m/s1.75; Sed 0.21–0.26 MPa). However, over 90% of the motorcycle riders had VDV(8)
ISO 2631-5 (mean 23.5 m/s1.75) exceeding the upper boundary of health guidance caution zone (17 m/s1.75)
Transportation recommended by ISO 2631-1, or had Sed (mean 1.17 MPa) exceeding the value associated with
a high probability of adverse health effects (0.8 MPa) recommended by ISO 2631-5. Over 50% of
the motorcycle riders reached these boundary values for VDV and Se in less than 2 h. The WBV
exposure levels of the full-scale motorbikes riders and motor-scooter riders were not significantly
different. However, the RMS and VDV(8) values of motorcycle riders indicate significant roadway
effect (p < 0.001), while their Sed values indicate significant speed limit effect (p < 0.05). This study
concludes that the WBV exposure levels of common motorcycle riders are distinctively higher than
those of sedans, even on a regular paved road. The impact on health of WBV exposure in
motorcycle riders should be carefully addressed with reference to ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5.
Relevance to industry: This study compares the predicted health risks of motorcycle riders according to
ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5 standards. Experimental data suggest that the vibration dose value of ISO
2631-1 and daily dose of equivalent static compression stress of ISO 2631-5 have roughly equivalent
boundaries for probable health effects.
Ó 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction motorcycles, with estimates of over 33 million motorcycles in

mainland China, 18 million in Vietnam, 13 million in Japan,
The motorcycle is the primary vehicle for short-distance trans- 5.8 million in Malaysia, 2.7 million in Korea and 1.8 million in the
portation in Taiwan. The Department of Statistics, Ministry of Philippines (IRF, 2006).
Transportation and Communications in Taiwan, reported more Although most riders use motorcycles only for short-distance
than 13.8 million registered motorcycles by the end of October transportation, some people, such as postmen, deliverymen and
2007, and estimated that over 11 million of them were in use some urban couriers use a motorcycle as the major vehicle for
(Taiwan MOTC, 2007). Some other Asian countries also have many work. Consequently, many workers are likely to experience high
levels of WBV caused by motorcycle riding. Most motorcycles in
Taiwan can be categorized as scooters (no clutch, sit-on riding) and
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ886 4 2332 3000x4255; cell phone: þ886 937
motorbikes (with clutch, straddle riding). These motorcycles
083781; fax: þ886 4 2374 2327. generally have engines of 125 cc or smaller, are ridden on the
E-mail address: hcchen@[Link] (H.-C. Chen). shoulder or outside reserved lane of the road, and are convenient

0169-8141/$ – see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/[Link].2009.05.002
 H.-C. Chen et al. / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718 709

Table 1
Characteristics of the participants and vehicles.

Participant Vehicle

Group Age (yr) Height (cm) Mass (kg) Experience (yr) Engine size(cc) Wheel size(in) Age (yr) Manufacturer (n)
Scooter (n ¼ 6) 24.2 (1.6) 171.3 (5.0) 67.2 (8.5) 5.7 (1.6) 125 10 7.2 (3.7) Yamaha(3) Sanyang(3)
Motorbike (n ¼ 6) 22.2 (0.8) 171.4 (3.8) 68.6 (9.6) 3.2 (1.8) 125 18(front) 17(rear) 2.4 (0.6) Sanyang(6)
Sedan (n ¼ 5) 29.0 (6.2) 173.0 (4.6) 74.8 (11.2) 8.2 (6.8) 1600–2000 15 8.0 (2.7) Toyota(1) Nissan(2) Ford(1) Misubishi(1)

for accessing driving lanes. Our experience and observations indi- containing multiple shocks by considering 2 biomechanical models
cate that a motorcycle can be ridden at an equivalent or slightly of the lumbar response.
higher speed than a car in a metropolitan or urban area with heavy The authors are not aware of any previous studies of WBV
traffic. exposure of motorcycle riders while performing riding tasks for an
Riding a motorcycle raises concerns not only about traffic safety, extended period of time, namely 1 h or more. Most scientific
but also about health relating to WBV exposure. Previous studies investigations have addressed the WBV exposure from vehicles
have identified increased low back pain (Palmer et al., 1999), finger such as trucks, taxi and industrial vehicles (Malchaire et al., 1996;
and shoulder symptoms (Mirbod et al., 1997), and a high rate of Maeda and Morioka, 1998; Chen et al., 2003; Cann et al., 2004; Rehn
erectile dysfunction (Ochiai et al., 2006) among motorcyclists. et al., 2005; Hoy et al., 2005), or specialist vehicles, such as terrain
Experienced motorcycle riders assert that continual riding of vehicles (Goglia and Grbac, 2005; Johanning et al., 2006; Scarlett
a standard motorcycle for extended periods can result in stress and et al., 2007; Eger et al., 2006, 2008). This study measures the WBV
medical complaints. A motorcycle rider may encounter multiple exposure of motorcycle riders while driving on rural, provincial and
shocks introduced from uneven road surfaces due to irregularities urban roads with standard paved surfaces. Additionally, the WBV
such as potholes, humps and manhole covers. Previous studies have exposures from driving of regular sedan vehicles on the same route
reported that a driver’s vibration exposure level depends on the are evaluated to serve as a control. This study compares measured
road or traffic conditions, vehicle characteristics such as speed, WBV exposure with the upper boundary of health guidance caution
type, weight, seat, maintenance and engine size, and driver char- zone (HGCZ) recommended by ISO 2631-1 (1997, Fig. B.1) and with
acteristics such as age, characteristics, experience, sitting posture the limit value associated with a high probability adverse health
and body weight (Peitte and Malchaire, 1992; Ozkaya et al., 1994; effects recommended by ISO 2631-5 (2004, Figs. A.1 and A.2).
Malchaire et al., 1996; Donati, 1998; Chen et al., 2003; Mansfield
and Griffin, 2002). Numerous investigations have reported possible 2. Method
discomfort, musculoskeletal problems, muscular fatigue, reduced
stability and altered vestibular function caused by WBV exposure 2.1. Participants and vehicles
(Seidel, 1993; Wasserman et al., 1997; Bongers et al., 1988; Griffin,
1998). Twelve senior university students, with a mean age of 22 years
Most previous evaluations of WBV exposure measured and (SD ¼ 1.5), were recruited to participate in motorcycle riding tests.
analyzed the acceleration data in terms of ISO 2631-1 (1997). Five experienced sedan drivers, with a mean age of 29 years
However, in ISO 2631-1 (1997) Section 6.2.2, the applicability of (SD ¼ 2.4), were also recruited for driving tests. All participants
a basic evaluation is limited for vibrations with crest factors 9. were male, with an average height and mass of 171.4 cm (SD ¼ 4.3)
Additionally, ISO 2631-1 (1997) suggests that an alternative eval- and 67.8 kg (SD ¼ 8.6) respectively. Each motorcycle driver had at
uation should be considered under conditions of transient shocks, least 2 years experience of motorcycle riding, and was familiar with
particularly those that occur rarely. Troup (1988) reported that the test route adopted in this study. Each participant self-reported
transmitted road-shock is a source of back problems. Wikström riding his motorcycle in an upright sitting position without leaning
et al. (1994) reviewed studies on the effect of long-term exposure to forward or backward by more than 10 . Participants were divided
WBV, and concluded that many repeated shocks of sufficient level into groups of 6 scooter riders and 6 motorbike riders. All motor-
and duration might lead to back problems. In considering the cycles had the same engine size of 125 cc. The sedan vehicles had
health problem that shocks might cause, ISO 2631-5 (2004) was engine sizes in the range 1600–2000 cc. Table 1 presents the
proposed to assess the adverse effects on health from vibration characteristics of the participants and the tested vehicles in detail.

Fig. 1. (a) Data loggers and (b) portable media recorders utilized for data collection.
710 H.-C. Chen et al. / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718

2.2. Equipments For each riding task, a seat pad accelerometer was placed on the
seat beneath the subject’s buttocks in accordance with ISO 2631-1
A tri-axial ICP seat pad accelerometer (model 356B40, Larson standard (1997, Fig. 1a); the positive x and z directions were ante-
Davis Inc., USA) was employed to measure vibrations transmitted to rior and upward, respectively. Thus, acceleration in the positive z
the seated human body as a whole through the supporting surface direction generates a compressive loading on the subject’s spine.
of the buttock. The accelerometer had a frequency sensitivity range Each motorcycle rider wore a helmet with a mini camera taped on
of 0.5–5000 Hz, and was pre-calibrated for excitation of 1 g RMS/ its frontal side, and a shoulder strap with a case carrying
159.2 Hz with a hand-held calibrator (model 394C06, PCB Piezo- a portable media recorder (Fig. 2). Each rider also wore a packsack
tronics Inc., USA). Seat pad outputs were connected to a 3-channel to carry the signal amplifier, the data logger and a rechargeable
amplifier (model 480B21, PCB Piezotronics Inc., USA) with a signal battery set. The overall weight of the packsack was 1.5 kg. Each
conditioning gain of 10. The outputs of the amplified signals were participant was asked to remain on the seat, without rising during
recorded on a portable data logger. This data logger was a modified the riding task. To avoid harmful shocks, the riders were expected
version of that used by Liu et al. (2006); it can acquire three analog to go round, or slow down over, potholes, manhole covers, humps
signals each at a rate of 5000 samples per second, and store or uneven surfaces that they encountered. The riding and road
collected data on a 2GB compact flash (CF) memory card (Fig. 1a). conditions were videoed during the tasks. Each task took about
The logged data were downloaded onto a personal computer using 50–70 min.
a card reader for further data processing. The sedan drivers performed the test on the same route, only
The view of a motorcycle rider was recorded by a portable media under the speed limit of 55 km/h, with the mini camera taped on
recorder (CNF-200, Carry Media Electronic Ltd., Fig. 1b) and a mini the windshield, and other equipment secured on the passenger
camera. The recorded video was synchronized with the logged seat. Additionally, a remote synchronous transmitter sent a regis-
acceleration data using a remote transmitter, which sent radio tering signal at each complete stop before a stop light.
frequency signals at the beginning and end of the riding task.
2.4. Data processing procedure

2.3. Field testing procedure 2.4.1. Analysis software

‘Viewlog’ software programmed with LabVIEW 7.0 (National
The test runs were performed on a 20.6 km paved route, Instruments, USA) was applied to download the logged data from
comprising 5 km rural roadway, 5 km provincial roadway and the CF card, and to synchronize the data with the taped video
10.6 km urban roadway. The route started from the university, (Fig. 3a). ‘Viewlog’ consists of calibration, vibration analysis, script
and followed the main road to the Taichung City central railway interpretation and batch processing modules to facilitate analysis
station, and then back to the university the same way. Each test was and processing of data in bulk. (Chen et al., 2006) The vibration
undertaken on weekdays between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., or analysis module, developed under a research contract of Taiwan
between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., to ensure consistent traffic IOSH (2007), evaluates the exposure level of WBV in terms of both
conditions, and to avoid traffic jams. ISO 2631-1 (1997) and ISO 2631-5 (2004) (Fig. 3b). The module was
The standard testing procedure of the riding/driving test and specifically designed to perform batch computing and export the
detailed instructions was explained to all participants before the results to a user-defined MS Excel template.
test. Each motorcycle rider performed two riding tasks, one with
a speed limit of 55 km/h, and the other with a speed limit of 40 km/ 2.4.2. Batch processing
h, on a different days. All motorcycle riders rode their own Following the calibration process, acceleration data were divided
motorcycles, and the speed limits were randomly assigned to into periods of 30 s, and was batch processed using the vibration
their first tasks. analysis module. For each ith data period, the root mean square (aw,i)

Fig. 2. Experimental setup of a participant.

 H.-C. Chen et al. / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718 711

Fig. 3. (a) Data processing environment in Viewlog; (b) Screen shot of vibration analysis module.
712 H.-C. Chen et al. / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718

and vibration dose values (VDVi) of accelerations in the x and y axes, In Eq. (4), T8 denotes the 8-h time period, and VDV and Tm denote
and in the z-axis, were individually computed from the Wd and Wk the total VDV and the measurement duration, respectively.
frequency weighting functions of ISO 2631-1 (1997), respectively. The The equivalent static compressive stress (Se) (ISO 2631-5, 2004,
computation of acceleration dose (Dk,i) for the x-and y-axis were A.2) during the measurement period was then calculated from the
based on a biomechanical model with a single degree-of-freedom and total Dk of each axis with the following equation:
ISO 2631-5 procedure (2004, 5.2.2, 5.3, 5.4). The computation of Dk.i
h  6 i1=6
for the z-axis started with down-sampling acceleration to 160 Hz, Se ¼ ð0:015Dx Þ6 þ 0:035Dy þð0:032Dz Þ6 (5)
which was then used as input for the recurrent neural network model
described in ISO 2631-5 (2004, 5.2.3, 5.3, 5.4). The model calculation The value of Se was then scaled by Eq. (6) to obtain estimated daily
results are ‘‘response accelerations’’. The Dk.i is calculated by summing equivalent static compression dose (Sed), and compared with the
the response acceleration peaks. According to ISO 2631-5 (2004, 5.3), limit value of 0.8 MPa (Sed ), which is defined by ISO 2631-5 (2004,
a peak is the maximum absolute value of response acceleration A2 and Figure A.1) as indicating high probability of an adverse
between consecutive zero crossings. Although peaks in the positive health effect.
and negative directions are considered for response accelerations in
 1=6
the x and y directions, only positive peaks (compression of the spine) T
count for response acceleration in the z direction. The vibration Sed ¼ Se $ 8 (6)
Tm
exposures from each 30-s period were exported to a pre-defined MS
Excel template to generate the WBV exposure report. In Equation (6), T8 represents an 8-h time period, and Tm represents
the measurement duration. The allowable duration (Ta) for RMS,
2.4.3. Artifact removal VDV, and Se to reach the exposure value (EV) of RMS, VDV, andSed ,
An experienced experimenter manually inspected the Excel respectively, were calculated using Eq. (7):
report to identify every record period containing atypically large  n
VDVi, Dk,i and aw,i values. The experimenter then inspected the raw EV
Ta ¼ $T (7)
acceleration data and synchronized video of each period with VL
abnormal data, sometimes helped by the test participant, to
where VL denotes the vibration level or dose of RMS, VDV and Se,
determine whether the abnormal data represented an artifact, or
with n ¼ 2, 4, and 6, respectively, and T ¼ T8 for n ¼ 2 and T ¼ Tm for
a natural feature of the task. An abnormal record confirmed to be
n ¼ 4 and 6.
owing to an artifact, caused by ingress/egress or the participant
A risk factor (R) was computed using Eqs. (8) and (9) (ISO
instinctively rising from the seat, was removed by replacing all
2631-5, 2004, A.3) sequentially considering increased age as the
VDVi, Dk,i and aw, ivalues of the record with zero values, instead of by
exposure time increases:
deleting the record. This procedure ensured that the overall period
of the measurement remained the same. 2 !6 31=6
Xn
Sed $N 1=6
R ¼ 4 5 (8)
2.4.4. Exposure report j¼1
Suj  c
The Excel report employed an embedded macro program to
compute the total RMS, VDV and Dk of each axis by combining data
of all 30-s exposure periods using Eqs. (1), (2), and (3) given below, Suj ¼ 6:75  0:066ðb þ jÞ (9)

"P #1=2 where N is the number of exposure days per year, j is the year
a2 $Ti counter, n is the number of years of exposure, c is a constant rep-
RMS ¼ Pw;i (1)
Ti resenting static stress due to the gravitational force, Suj is the ulti-
mate strength of the lumber spine for a person aged (b þ j) years,
hX i1=4 with b as the age at which exposure started. The characteristics of
VDV ¼ VDVi4 (2) a typical motorcycle rider (b ¼ 20 years; N ¼ 240 days;
c ¼ 0.25 MPa) and 4 Sed scaled from each trial Se by Eq. (6) with
hX i1=6 estimated daily exposure periods of 1, 2, 4, and 8 were applied in
Dk ¼ D6k;i (3) computing R. For each Sed, the age (b þ j) in years at which R reaches
1.2 (R) was utilized for statistical analysis. Notably, R, which is
where aw,i, VDVi and Dk,i denote the frequency-weighted root mean defined by ISO 2631-5, indicates a high probability of an adverse
square acceleration, VDV and acceleration dose of the ith exposure health effect.
period, respectively, and Ti denotes the exposure duration (30 s) of
the ith period. The axis with the highest (most severe) total RMS
acceleration, obtained by running embedded math functions in
Excel, was compared with the upper boundary of HGCZ (RMS) 2.5. Data analysis
defined in ISO 2631-1 (1997, Figure B.1), which is 0.8 m/s2. The
multiplying factor k ¼ 1.4, as suggested by ISO 2631-1 (1997, 7.2.3), The measurement duration for each task was counted from the
in weighting transversal (x and y) acceleration was not applied in time the participant drove out of the parking lot to the time that he
this study. To compare vibration levels of motorcycles with those of returned to the point of departure. Sub-periods of riding or driving
other vehicles, we assume a daily exposure time of 8 h. The esti- on the rural, provincial and urban roadway for all subjects and tasks
mated 8-h VDV (VDV(8)) was thus derived from the axis with the in each measurement period were determined from the synchro-
greatest total VDV using Eq. (4), and compared with the upper nized video and logged data provided by an experimenter. The data
boundary of HGCZ (VDV) defined in ISO 2631-1 (1997, B.3.1), which of an exposure report was further divided into WBV exposures on
is 17 m/s1.75. each roadway, based on the duration of each sub-period. The
 1=4 number of complete stops was determined by counting the number
T
VDVð8Þ ¼ VDV$ 8 (4) of registered wireless indents, and double-checked from the video
Tm data.
 H.-C. Chen et al. / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718 713

Table 2
Mean (SD) measurement duration, riding speed and fully stops in different task conditions

Condition Roadway A (rural/5 km) B (province/5 km) C (urban/10.6 km) A þ BþC (20.6 km)

Speed limit (km/h) 55 40 55 40 55 40 55 40

Duration*y (min) 9.75 (1.64) 12.42 (2.52) 12.46 (0.81) 16.04 (2.21) 29.63 (3.61) 33.38 (3.42) 51.83 (5.01) 61.83 (5.59)
Average motorcycle speed*yz (km/h) 31.56 (5.15) 24.99 (4.49) 24.17 (1.54) 19.25 (2.51) 21.77 (2.72) 19.02 (2.04) 23.85 (2.35) 19.99 (1.70)
Fully stops 3.1 (0.7) 3.4 (1.0) 5.9 (0.8) 6.4 (1.2) 17.1 (3.0) 17.2 (1.9) 26.1 (2.8) 27.0 (2.7)

* p < 0.001, significant roadway difference by repeated measures ANOVA.

y
p < 0.001, significant speed limit difference by repeated measures ANOVA.
z
p < 0.05, significant roadway  speed limit effect by repeated measures ANOVA.

The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 10 for complete stops) or level of RMS, VDV(8) and Sed. The statistical
Windows. Group differences in WBV exposure of sedan and analysis was thus undertaken by treating all motorcycles as one
motorcycle were assessed by the independent t-test. The differ- group.
ences among all measurements obtained in the motorcycle ride The WBV exposure values for RMS, VDV(8), and Sed in the sedan
tests were compared by repeated measures ANOVA, using the drivers were much lower than those of the motorcycle riders
vehicle type as the between-subjects factor, and the roadway and (p < 0.001, t-test). For the sedan drivers, the RMS ranged from
speed limit as the within-subjects factors. A difference at a level of 0.27 m/s2 to 0.32 m/s2; VDV(8) ranged from 6.3 m/s1.75 to 8.3 m/s1.75,
p < 0.05 was regarded as significant. and Sed ranged from 0.21 MPa to 0.26 MPa. These values were all
lower than the corresponding values of RMS, VDV, and Sed proposed
in the ISO standards.
3. Results In contrast, all motorcycles on the 20.6 km ride had the Se and
VDV values greater than 0.5 m/s2 and 8.5 m/s1.75, respectively.
No significant differences in measurement period and average Furthermore, 11 out of the 24 values for Se exceeded Sed , and 2 out of
speed were observed among the sedan (mean 55.0  1.1 min) and the 24 VDV exceeded VDV (Fig. 4). If estimated for 8 h of exposure,
the two types of motorcycles at the speed limit of 55 km/h. The over 90% of all motorcycle rides in this study would produce VDV(8)
average measurement periods of the motorcycles were 51.8 and (mean 23.1 m/s1.75) values exceeding VDV in ISO 2631-1, and Se(8)
61.8 min for the tests at speed limits of 55 km/h and 40 km/h, (mean 1.15 MPa) over Sed in ISO 2631-5 (Fig. 4). However, the RMS
respectively. The average riding speed of the motorcycles was parameter underestimated the WBV exposure resulting from
23.9 km/h and 20.0 km/h at speed limits of 55 km/h and 40 km/h, motorcycle rides, since 38% of all tasks fell within the caution range
respectively (Table 2). Roadway and speed limit significantly of 0.5–0.8 m/s2, and only 62% of all tasks exceeded 0.8 m/s2. The
affected the duration and average riding speed of the motorcycles motorcycle riders had more variable vibration exposure than the
(p < 0.001). The driving speed was highest on the rural roadway, sedan drivers at the same driving speed. Notably, a significant
with average speeds of 31.6 km/h and 25.0 km/h for the speed positive correlation was noted between Se and VDV for all motor-
limits of 55 km/h and 40 km/h, respectively, and was the slowest on cycle measurements with the regression line passing through the
the urban roadway, with an average of 21.8 km/h and 19.0 km/h, conjunction of the ISO 2631-1 HGCZ (8.5–17 m/s1.75) and ISO 2631-
respectively (Table 2). This difference was partly due to the 5 caution range (0.5–0.8 MPa) (Fig. 4).
different numbers of complete stops required on urban and rural Analytical results indicate that the crest factors in the most sever
roadways. axis were greater than 9, and the values of VDV/(awT1/4) were
greater than 1.75, in all motorcycle rides. This evidence implies that
3.1. WBV in sedans and motorcycles the WBV exposure of the motorcycle ride involved occasional
shocks, meaning that alternative parameters to RMS should also be
Analytical results indicate that acceleration in the z-axis considered. Visual inspection of the acceleration signals also
generated the most severe total RMS and VDV levels. Therefore, RMS confirmed the presence of multiple shocks.
and VDV(8) was determined from RMSz and VDVz, respectively, and
then compared with the corresponding upper boundary of HGCZ 3.2. Effect of roadway condition and driving speed
defined by ISO 2631-1 (Table 3). The statistical results demonstrate
no significant difference between the two motorcycle types in Significant roadway effect (p < 0.001) was found in RMS and
terms of any driving metric (duration, average speed, number of VDV(8), and significant speed limit effect (p < 0.05) was found in and

Table 3
Mean (S.D.) of RMS, vibration dose value (VDV) and acceleration dose (Dk) of the 20.6 km road tests.

Exposure parameter Axis X Y Z*

Speed limit (km/h) 55 40 55 40 55 40

RMS (m/s2) Scooter (n ¼ 6) 0.44 (0.04) 0.38 (0.03) 0.17 (0.04) 0.16 (0.03) 0.80 (0.12) 0.80 (0.15)
Motorbike (n ¼ 6) 0.39 (0.04) 0.33 (0.03) 0.14 (0.08) 0.12 (0.02) 0.93 (0.14) 0.90 (0.15)
Sedan (n ¼ 5) 0.15 (0.03) n.a. 0.11 (0.01) n.a. 0.30 (0.02) n.a.

VDV (m/s1.75) Scooter (n ¼ 6) 6.30 (0.60) 5.60 (0.61) 2.60 (1.02) 4.25 (2.57) 13.27 (2.89) 12.96 (2.61)
Motorbike (n ¼ 6) 5.15 (0.39) 4.52 (0.57) 3.43 (2.55) 1.94 (0.59) 14.26 (2.83) 13.96 (1.82)
Sedan (n ¼ 5) 1.93 (0.27) n.a. 1.55 (0.11) n.a. 4.17 (0.42) n.a.

Dk (m/s2) Scooter (n ¼ 6) 14.17 (6.87) 15.05 (10.86) 7.26 (4.78) 10.44 (6.72) 28.60 (10.11) 22.33 (3.88)
Motorbike (n ¼ 6) 27.81 (13.00) 17.69 (4.95) 8.80 (6.17) 6.37 (2.34) 25.47 (6.68) 22.04 (3.64)
Sedan (n ¼ 5) 3.82 (0.31) n.a. 3.25 (0.38) n.a. 4.99 (0.47) n.a.

* Axis with the most severe acceleration level/dose.

714 H.-C. Chen et al. / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718

2 RMS as 9.3 (SD ¼ 3.3) and 11.0 (SD ¼ 3.7) h at speed limits of 55 km/
h and 40 km/h, respectively. Although estimates produced by Se
provided the most rigorous estimation among all vibration
motorcycle:
Se= 0.0592 *VDV parameters on the time taken to reach Sed , its estimates were also
1.6 (r2 = 0.96; n=24)
more variable than those of either VDV or RMS. Nevertheless, the
time taken to reach Sed or VDV was shorter than 2 h in 50% of the
motorcycle: tasks, according to estimated values obtained from Se and VDV
1.2 Sed = 0.0496 *VDV(8) (Fig. 5). Thus, Se and VDV produced closer estimates than RMS of the
Se (MPa)

(r2 = 0.96; n=24)

time taken by a rider to reach the corresponding Sed and VDV.
According to the sequential computation of the R factor, the age
sedan:
Se= 0.0392 *VDV at which a rider reaches the value of R reduced significantly as
0.8 (r2 = 0.99; n=5) speed limit and daily exposure increased (Fig. 6). For example, 75%
sedan:
Sed = 0.0327 *VDV(8)
(9/12) and 42% (5/12) of experimental trials at 40 km/h predicted
(r2 = 0.99; n=5) that R reaches R until a rider reaches an age of 65 years of older for
55km/h - motorcycle(8h)
0.4 an assumed daily exposure of 1 and 2 h, respectively. The corre-
40km/h - motorcycle(8h)
55km/h - sedan(8h) sponding percentages reduced to 33% and 25% for trials at 55 km/h.
55km/h - motorcycle(20.6km) Moreover, 17% (2/12) and 33% (3/12) of riders traveling at 55 km/h
40km/h - motorcycle(20.6km)
55km/h - sedan(20.6km) speed limit had R reach R before the rider turned 45 with 1 and
0 2 h of daily exposure, respectively.
0 10 20 30 40

VDV (m/s1.75)
4. Discussion
Fig. 4. VDV–Se scatter plot of all tasks, with the caution zones (grey bands) of ISO 2631-
1 and ISO 2631-5 (hollow symbol: 20.6-km measured; solid symbol: 8-h predicted). The participants found that the route tested in this study was
not significantly different from the roadway conditions that they
generally encountered, such that it can represent a typical roadway
Sed, respectively. (Table 4) The greatest mean RMS (1.08 m/s2), for most motorcycle riders. The participants rarely reached the
VDV(8) (26.55 m/s1.75) and Sed (1.24 MPa) was obtained on the rural speed limit of 55 km/h during their rides, in contrast with the speed
roadway with the speed limit at 55 km/h. The average motorcycle limit of 40 km/h. These participants were more likely to ride at their
speed in this case was 31.6 km/h (Table 2). A slower average riding daily comfortable speeds in the 55 km/h speed limit trial. Thus, the
speed or lower speed limit lowered the vibration to which the experimental result of the 55 km/h speed limit tasks demonstrates
riders were exposed. Lowering the speed limit from 55 km/h to WBV exposure might create significant health hazards in Asian
40 km/h caused the mean Sed, VDV(8) and RMS to fall on average by countries with a large number of motorcycles. Long-term exposure
21%, 7%, and 3%, respectively (Table 4). However, riding speed was to WBV is associated with early spinal degeneration (Frymoyer
not the only factor influencing the WBV exposure of the motorcycle et al., 1984), low back pain and herniated lumbar disc (Bovenzi and
riders. The WBV exposure on the urban roadway was greater than Zadini, 1992; Boshuizen et al., 1992). Most motorcycle riders do not
that on the provincial roadway, even at the slowest riding speed. expose themselves to WBV for extended periods. However, the
large population and gradually aging society means that many
3.3. Comparison of the ISO standards motorcycle riders require special attention for potential health
problems resulting from WBV exposure.
The value of Se, according to the total vibration dose received by The ISO 2631-5 was first published in 2004 to deal with WBV
motorcycle riders, can be employed to obtain the shortest exposure with multiple shocks. This study produced similar results to several
period in which Sed (0.8 MPa) can be reached. The average exposure previous investigations that also applied ISO 2631-5 standard in
period of a motorcycle drive to reach value of Sed and VDV were assessing exposures to WBV. From a study of 158 measurements,
estimated from Se and VDV as 2.26 h (SD ¼ 4.1) and 3.3 h (SD ¼ 2.3), Marjanen (2005) showed that the RMS does not properly address
respectively, at the speed limit of 55 km/h, and 3.2 h (SD ¼ 3.0) and transient shocks, and that the Sed value is more rigorous than RMS
3.9 h (SD ¼ 2.5), respectively, at the speed limit of 40 km/h (Fig. 5). when evaluating health effects. Khorshid et al. (2007) conducted
In contrast, the RMS overestimated the riding time needed to reach tests in which participants drove over various shapes of speed

Table 4
Mean (S.D.) of RMS, estimated 8-h vibration dose value (VDV(8)) and estimated 8-h static compression dose (Sed) on different roadways and at speed limits.

Exposure parameter Roadway A (rural/5 km) B (province/5 km) C (urban/10.6 km) AþBþC (20.6 km)

Speed limit (km/h) 55 40 55 40 55 40 55 40

RMS* (m/s2) Scooter (n ¼ 6) 0.97 (0.15) 0.96 (0.18) 0.68 (0.11) 0.68 (0.12) 0.79 (0.13) 0.79 (0.16) 0.80 (0.12) 0.80 (0.15)
Motorbike (n ¼ 6) 1.18 (0.20) 1.05 (0.22) 0.84 (0.14) 0.82 (0.22) 0.90 (0.13) 0.88 (0.13) 0.94 (0.14) 0.90 (0.15)
Sedanz (n ¼ 5) 0.40 (0.03) n.a. 0.25 (0.03) n.a. 0.27 (0.02) n.a. 0.30 (0.02) n.a.

VDV(8)* (m/s1.75) Scooter (n ¼ 6) 24.99 (6.30) 23.30 (4.75) 21.09 (5.24) 19.26 (3.24) 22.67 (4.35) 21.71 (4.53) 22.89 (4.96) 21.54 (4.17)
Motorbike (n ¼ 6) 28.10 (5.96) 24.42 (3.63) 23.69 (4.99) 21.73 (4.52) 24.69 (4.54) 22.95 (2.84) 25.22 (4.89) 23.42 (3.18)
Sedanz (n ¼ 5) 8.85 (0.97) n.a. 6.28 (0.93) n.a. 6.63 (0.55) n.a. 7.18 (0.71) n.a.

Sed y (MPa) Scooter (n ¼ 6) 1.32 (0.70) 0.91 (0.19) 1.12 (0.44) 0.86 (0.14) 1.26 (0.45) 1.11 (0.11) 1.32 (0.46) 1.06 (0.09)
Motorbike (n ¼ 6) 1.16 (0.16) 0.97 (0.26) 1.15 (0.24) 0.80 (0.19) 1.29 (0.28) 1.00 (0.20) 1.27 (0.22) 1.00 (0.17)
Sedanz (n ¼ 5) 0.28 (0.02) n.a. 0.21 (0.03) n.a. 0.21 (0.01) n.a. 0.24 (0.02) n.a.

* p < 0.001, significant roadway difference by repeated measures ANOVA (motorcycle).

y
p < 0.05, significant speed limit difference by repeated measures ANOVA (motorcycle).
z
p < 0.001, significant difference between sedan (n ¼ 5) and motorcycles (n ¼ 12) by t-test.
 H.-C. Chen et al. / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718 715

Speed Limit: 55km/h Speed Limit: 40km/h

: RMS : RMS
: VDV A : VDV
: Se (rural) : Se

B
(provincial)

Roadway
C
(urban)

A+B+C

0.01 0.1 1 10 0.01 0.1 1 10

period to reach exposure limit (hr) period to reach exposure limit (hr)

Fig. 5. Estimated periods of motorcycle riding needed to reach the individual exposure limits of RMS ¼ 0.8 m/s2, VDV ¼ 17 m/s1.75, and Sed ¼ 0.8 MPa.

control hump at speeds of 10–80 km/h, and indicated that higher 2631-5 criteria always predicted lower health risks than ISO 2631-1
speeds generally produced larger values of VDV and Se. Alem (2005) (Fig. 7). Nevertheless, Alem (2005), who observed a low VDV(8) in
demonstrated that the Sed value was positively correlated with the army vehicles, suggested that HGCZ of VDV should be reduced to
VDV(8), and was more sensitive to shock-containing vibrations than 3.5–4.8 m/s1.75 to have equivalent risk assessment as Sed does in
either the VDV or the RMS. detecting high shock content in a vibration signature (Fig. 7).
However, some studies have also been undertaken and yielded Despite the fact that these studies obtained conflicting experi-
opposite results. Eger et al. (2008) explored WBV exposure in load- mental results, this study demonstrated that Se produced predic-
haul-dump (LHD) mining vehicles, and concluded that the ISO tion of health risks slightly more severe than VDV for a 50- to
70-min period of assessment. However, when exposure time is
extended to, say, 8 h, evaluation of health risks based on ISO 2631-1
and 2631-5 can be highly consistent for motorcycle riders, as
shown by the original 20.6-km regression line inclining toward an
increased VDV and passing through the conjunction of the two
caution zones (Fig. 4). The observed tilt of the VDV–Se regression
line can ffi be explained by the greater
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi time ffi scaling factor for VDV
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
( 4 T8 =Tm , Eq. (4)) than that for Sed ( 6 T8 =Tm , Eq. (6)). A similar trend
for VDV–Se regression lines existed for sedans (Fig. 4).
The disagreement between the results of Eger et al. (2008) and
of this study may be due to the different vehicles evaluated. For
a comparable VDV(8) exposure range of 16–25 m/s1.75, Eger et al.
(2008) found a significantly lower Sed (type A, C; ran-
ge ¼ 0.27–0.52 MPa) for LHD mining vehicles than that for motor-
cycles (range ¼ 0.72–1.78 MPa). A rational explanation is that
a four-wheel vehicle typically has better suspension than a motor-
cycle, and the driver sits far from the wheel lines. This design
dampens and decreases shocks introduced by the wheels, as
demonstrated by the experimental results for sedans in this study,
in which the VDV–Se regression line leans toward that of LHD
vehicles. In contrast, a motorcycle rider always sits on the line of the
wheels, and is thus confronted with larger shocks introduced from
the wheels than a four-wheel car driver at the same speed. As for
army vehicles results reported by Alem (2005), a large Sed and
relatively low VDV(8) may result from short daily exposure under
high jolt conditions, the use of an incongruous formula (Alem,
2005, Annex A, Eq. A-3), or some other unknown causes.
According to ISO 2631-5 (2004) standard, the assessment of
Fig. 6. Prediction of motorcycle rider age when R ¼ 1.2 under speed limits of 55 and WBV is based on an upright posture. A bent forward or twisted
40 km/h and estimated daily exposures of 1, 2, 4, and 8 h. posture is likely to increase the adverse health effects of drivers
716 H.-C. Chen et al. / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718

4
LHD, Eger (2008)
Army Vehicle, Alem (2005)
Motorcycle, This study
Sedan, This study

Sed (MPa)
2

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
VDV(8) (m/s1.75)

Fig. 7. The VDV–Sed scatter plot of army vehicles (Alem, 2005), LHD mining vehicles (Eger et al., 2008), motorcycles (this study), and sedans (this study) with the caution zones (grey
bands) of ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5.

while exposing to WBV (ISO 2631-5, 2004, Annex A). Hoy et al. interaction between the two (Table 2). Due to technical difficulties,
(2005) also noted a higher rate of low back pain among forklift this study was unable to measure actual speed and road profiles
drivers than among non-drivers. Additionally, a driving posture experienced by individual subjects or to further explore the
with the trunk twisted or bent forward is associated with increased possible effects of individual factors on RMS, VDV(8), and Sed.
risk of low back pain. Although riding posture in individual subjects Nevertheless, the roadway significantly impacted RMS and VDV(8).
was not restrained in this field study, each subject claimed he drove In contrast, Sed only identified the effect of speed limit. This may
with an upright sitting posture and rarely twisted or bent his trunk. suggest that the VDV parameter in ISO 2631-1 is more sensitive to
Therefore, unreliably measured body responses due to inconsistent vibrations resulting from road profile or surface characteristics,
posture with the ISO 2531-5 model constraints are negligible. while the Se parameter in ISO 2631-5 may be more sensitive to
However, motorcycle riders typically sit higher than most vehicle effects resulting from the riding speed. For example, Sed was 21%
drivers and generally do not have backrests. Hinz et al. (2002) lower at a speed limit of 40 km/h than at 55 km/h, while the cor-
conducted an study of 39 males sitting on a suspension seat with responding reduction in VDV(8) was only 7%. Therefore, both ISO
and without a backrest exposed to random WBV with aw ¼ 0.6 m/s2 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5 should be considered when assessing the
at a relaxed or bent forward posture. They demonstrated that peak WBV exposure. In other words, since ISO 2631-1 and ISO 2631-5
transmissibilities between accelerations at the seat base and the both produce dose values with great variabilities, either method
compressive force at L5/S1 were highest for those without the might underestimate the health risks if applied on its own to
backrest during bending. Wang et al. (2004) determined that measure WBV exposure (Alem, 2005; Marjanen, 2005; Eger et al.
increasing seat height increases peak magnitude response as 2008).
a relatively larger portion of body mass is supported by the seat. Analytical results show that very large values of VDV or Se can be
Wang et al. (2006) also demonstrated that sitting on a flat pan introduced simply through artifacts. The greatest artifact resulting
without back support causes greater energy absorption of vertical from ingress of the participants generated Dz ¼ 47 m/s2 and
vibrations than when sitting with a back support. These experi- VDV ¼ 12 m/s1.75. The greatest Dz caused by a rider voluntarily rising
mental findings indicate that motorcycle riders likely have higher from the seat during a motorcycle ride was over 30 m/s2. This
health risks than that of those driving 4-wheel vehicles with observation was larger than that reported by Newell and Mansfield
comparable WBV exposure. Further studies of the effects of posture (2004), and indicates that all artifacts need to be identified and
and seat support on WBV-related health risks among motorcycle removed, since a single artifact may distort a WBV assessment.
riders are warranted. With the artifact removal procedure, the decision to segment data
The results of this study show that applying different evaluation segmentation into periods of 30 s represented a trade-off between
methods may lead to different conclusions about the WBV expo- efficient data processing and minimizing data loss caused by arti-
sure. This study found that RMS produced much lower results for fact removal. The data processing architecture employed in this
WBV exposure in motorcycle riding than VDV and Se. This obser- study enables software to bulk-process data obtained over an
vation indicates that a motorcycle rider encounters many shocks. extended period, so that a more rational and consistent result of
Vibration peak distributions encountered by motorcycle riders WBV exposure can be obtained. The results of the artifact removal
result from a combination of riding speeds and road profiles procedure were regarded as conservative because of the zero
(Khorshid et al., 2007). In real environments, riding speed is typi- introducing method adopted.
cally related to traffic conditions, road profiles, imposed speed This study found that WBV exposure levels of sedan drivers and
limits, and driver behavior. In this field study, average riding speed motorcycle riders were significantly different. The RMS acceleration
was significantly affected by roadway factors, speed limit and the levels of the sedan driving (ranging from 0.27 m/s2 to 0.32 m/s2)
 H.-C. Chen et al. / International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics 39 (2009) 708–718 717

were within the range of urban taxi driving (0.17–0.55 m/s2) in c constant representing the static stress due to
Taiwan (Chen et al., 2003). Whereas all sedan drivers required gravitational force
exposure times of more than 8 h to reach RMS, VDV, and Sed , Suj the ultimate strength of the lumber spine for a person of
motorcycle riding required considerably shorter periods of WBV age (b þ j) years
exposures. Over 50% of the motorcycle riding tasks in this study had b the age at which the exposure starts
exposure period limits of 2 h or less, according to the VDV levels
recommended in ISO 2631-1, and particularly the Se guidance in ISO
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