Risks of Occupational
Vibration Exposures
VIBRISKS
Epidemiological Protocols and Questionnaires
The first activities of the VIBRISKS project were the definition of draft diagnostic protocols for epidemiological studies of hand-transmitted and whole-body vibration. These were initially based on procedures developed by the earlier Vibration Injury Network project (FP4, European Commission). They were further developed throughout the VIBRISKS project and now provide important tools to assist the design and conduct of epidemiological studies and workplace assessments of exposures to hand-transmitted vibration. The documents provide a unique combination of useful information for future research as well as a guide to the studies conducted by VIBRISKS.
Hand-transmitted vibration
The diagnostic protocol for hand-transmitted vibration provides not only the definition of tests for diagnosing the hand-arm vibration syndrome, it also provides colour charts to improve patient reports of finger blanching, criteria for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome in persons exposed to hand-transmitted vibration, clinical tests for the diagnosis of upper limb disorders, criteria for the clinical diagnosis of neck and upper limb musculoskeletal disorders, guidance on differences between reported and observed exposure durations, alternative measures of vibration dose, uniform means of summarising vibration exposures and their effects, and newly improved self-administered and clinically administered questionnaires for cross-sectional and follow-up studies. For the purposes of the multi-national surveys in VIBRISKS, each of the questionnaires has been translated into both Italian and Swedish.
 1130 kB |
Protocol
for epidemiological studies of hand-transmitted vibration, Annex
1 to VIBRISKS Final Technical Report, February 2007. |
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193 kB |
Self
administered questionnaire: Italian translation, Italian translation
of Appendix 8a to Annex 1, April 2004. M Bovenzi (UTRS) |
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220 kB |
Clinically
administered questionnaire: Italian translation, Italian translation
of Appendix 8b to Annex 1, April 2004. M Bovenzi (UTRS) |
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453 kB |
Self
administered questionnaire: Swedish translation, Swedish translation
of Appendix 8a to Annex 1, October 2004. R Lundström, L Burström, M Hagberg, T Nilsson (UMUH) |
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470 kB |
Clinically
administered questionnaire: Swedish translation, Swedish translation
of Appendix 8b to Annex 1, October 2004. R Lundström, L Burström, M Hagberg, T Nilsson (UMUH) |
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Whole-body vibration
The protocol for epidemiological studies of whole-body vibration defines methods for the assessments of disorders, such as initial and follow-up self-administered questionnaires, and alternative exposure dose measures for quantifying the severity of exposure to whole-body vibration. The protocol also defines methods for acquisition of whole-body vibration exposure data. For the purposes of the multi-national surveys in VIBRISKS, the questionnaires have been translated into Dutch, Italian and Swedish.
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925 kB |
Protocol
for epidemiological studies of whole-body vibration, Annex 12 to VIBRISKS
Final Technical Report, February 2007. R Lundström (UMUH) |
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497 kB |
Initial
questionnaire: Dutch translation, Dutch translation of Appendix 4a
to Annex 12, December 2004. I Tiemessen, C T J Hulshof and M Frings-Dresen (AMC) |
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287 kB |
Initial
questionnaire: Italian translation, Italian translation of Appendix
4a to Annex 12, April 2004. I Pinto and M Bovenzi (UTRS) |
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822 kB |
Initial
questionnaire: Swedish translation, Swedish translation of Appendix
4a to Annex 12, March 2004. R Lundström, T Nilsson, M Hagberg, L Burström (UMUH) |
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879 kB |
Follow-up
questionnaire: Swedish translation, Swedish translation of Appendix
4b to Annex 12, November 2005. R Lundström, T Nilsson, M Hagberg, L Burström (UMUH) |
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566 kB |
Modified
initial questionnaire used in Southampton (UK) low back pain drivers study,
December 2005. L Gallais, M J Griffin, K Palmer (UoS) |
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