Onset of Vibration-Induced White Finger: Insight Derived from a Meta-Analysis of Exposed Workers

Abstract

A pooled analysis has been performed of population groups whose hands have been occupationally exposed to vibration to study exposure evaluation, using epidemiologic data selected from a published meta-analysis. While the analysis cannot confirm the accuracy of the exposure-response relation in ISO 5349-1:2001, it suggests that the relation provides a conservative estimate for the onset of vibration-induced white finger. The analysis also demonstrates that the procedures for calculating vibration exposure in the international standard may need revision.

Keywords

• hand-arm vibration
• exposure-response relation
• prevalence
• ISO 5349-1:2001
• prevalence prediction model