Occupational Noise and Vibration Assessments in Forest Harvesting Equipment in North-eastern Brazil
Cássio Furtado Lima
Department of Forestry Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil.
Roldão Carlos Andrade Lima *
Center for Agrarian Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Amaury Paulo de Souza
Department of Forestry Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil.
Luciano José Minette
Department of Forestry Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil.
Stanley Schettino
Institute of Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Marlice Paes Leme Vieira
Center for Agrarian Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Glícia Silvania Pedroso Nascimento
Center for Agrarian Sciences and Engineering, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Occupational hazards arising from physical agents present in wood harvesting equipment may cause irreversible damage to the health of exposed operators. Thus, the objective of this study was to quantify the noise and vibration levels emitted by three types of wood harvesting equipment (Feller-buncher, Harvester and Forwarder) in a forestry company in north-eastern Brazil during a workday. Noise measurements were performed with an equivalent noise level meter (audiodosimeter) at the workstation and compared with the limits set in NR-15. To evaluate the vibration was used a full cup gauge, which has a sensor called triaxial accelerometer (directions X, Y and Z), installed on the operator's seat. As a result, the average noise dose of all activities in the operation studied did not exceed the maximum allowable limit of 85 dB (A) for 8 hours of continuous work. The whole body vibration in all equipment was below the exposure level, however, some equipment obtained indexes slightly higher than the alert level, a fact that shows a higher accuracy in the equipment.
Keywords: Health, physical agents, operators, forestry.