Effects of power tool vibration on peripheral nerve endings

Exposure to high frequency (kHz) vibration from impact power tools is overlooked in the ISO 5349-1 risk prediction for acquiring Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome. The biological effects of high frequency, power tool vibration have not been adequately studied. We characterized the magnitude and transmissibility of riveting hammer vibration in a rat tail model using a light weight piezoelectric sensor. The performance of the newly-introduced piezoelectric sensor was validated by showing its similarities to the previously published laser vibrometer. ISO 5349-1 frequency weighting revealed major risk from the 35 Hz component of the riveting hammer vibration, whereas the weighted values of the kHz components were not calculated to reach exposure action value in 24 h– However, the unweighted acceleration magnitudes at 12.4 and 16.3 kHz were about 10 and 50 times larger than the unweighted acceleration peak observed at 35 Hz. A transmissibility of <1 was calculated for 12.4 and 16.3 kHz, indicating tissue absorbance, while 35 Hz exhibited a transmissibility of 9.05, suggesting tissue resonance. The largest absolute change in acceleration was at 12.4 and 16.3 kHz, implicating that a considerable amount of high frequency vibration energy was absorbed by the tissue. A progressive reduction in intact sensory nerve endings was observed in the tissue when increasing vibration exposure from 1 min to 12 min.