Assessment of Relative Health Risks of Vibration-Exposed Equipment Operators in Coal Mines Khane Jithendar Singh, Sanjay Kumar Palei, Netai Chandra Karmakar, Suprakash Gupta, Amrendra Kumar Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2025 Objective: The present study aims at evaluating the influence of whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure and its contributing factors on musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of equipment operators in coal mines. Methodology: In this paper, WBV measurement was conducted for 100 equipment operators exposed to vibration, followed by a questionnaire survey. This questionnaire survey was also extended to 104 workers with limited exposure to vibration. Results: The daily average frequency-weighted acceleration A(8), when compared with health guidance caution zone (HGCZ) of ISO 2631-1, reveals that 15% operators are exposed to likely health risk and 82% to potential health risk. The relative risk of MSDs of vibration-exposed operators was 2.63 times more than the control group. Moreover, when mines were compared, Mine B showed a 3.27 times higher likelihood of vibration hazards compared to Mine A. Conclusion: Equipment operators in mines are exposed to vibration as a part of their occupation. The company management may take preventive measures through design of workplace and work environment for minimizing vibration exposure on operators to reduce MSDs.
Discomfort survey of dumper operators exposed to whole-body vibration in opencast coal mines Vivekanand Kumar, Sanjay Kumar Palei, Netai Chandra Karmakar JVC Journal of Vibration and Control, 2025 Exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) can lead to pain and discomfort of the heavy earthmoving machinery operators. In this paper, WBV measurement of 110 dumper operators has been conducted in three opencast coal mines, followed by a discomfort survey. Vibration measurement revealed that the mean frequency-weighted daily rms acceleration, A(8), for the operators was 0.87 m s−2. The discomfort survey was conducted to determine whether body regions of discomfort relate to their kinds of task performed by the dumper operators and also to prioritize areas for ergonomic intervention. Overall discomfort was evaluated corresponding to five regions of human body in the present survey. The results of the survey revealed that maximum operators had discomfort in their lower back region (65%) followed by leg region (53%). The industrial application of discomfort analysis is to identify the human body regions susceptible to vibration hazards. The discomfort indices are also correlated with vibration magnitude and some of the contributing factors of WBV for better understanding the vibration risks faced by the dumper operators for effectively managing the impacts of vibration in surface coal mines.
Role of contributing factors on health risks of whole-body vibration exposure of heavy equipment and vehicle operators: A critical review Khane Jithendar Singh, Sanjay Kumar Palei, Netai Chandra Karmakar JVC Journal of Vibration and Control, 2024 Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a recognized health hazard that primarily affects the musculoskeletal system of human beings. Although research works on WBV are documented, for the past few decades or so, researchers are still attempting to explore the role of contributing factors of WBV for the causation of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Therefore, this paper synthesizes up-to-date knowledge on WBV with respect to measurement methods, critical vibration magnitudes, contributing factors, and effects on human health. The present review is based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes) that includes 112 studies on WBV exposure and its contributing factors. It also summarizes the contributing factors of MSDs that include personal factors, environmental factors, machine-related factors, and WBV exposure of the heavy vehicles and equipment operators across various industries. Most of the studies reported lower back pain as the most common MSDs experienced by the vehicle operators exposed to WBV, followed by upper back pain. However, it is apparent from the prevailing literature that musculoskeletal health risks do not result from exposure to WBV alone. The role of multivariate contributing factors should also be considered, analyzed, assessed, and understood to establish correlations between these factors with the development of MSDs. In addition to the measurement and assessment of WBV as per the ISO guidelines to evaluate the potential and likely health risks faced by the heavy equipment operators, researchers should also focus on studying various impacts of WBV, and understanding the role of its contributing factors on human health using advanced machine learning tools.
Whole-body vibration exposure of heavy earthmoving machinery operators in surface coal mines: a comparative assessment of transport and non-transport earthmoving equipment operators Dhanjee Kumar Chaudhary, Sanjay Kumar Palei, Vivekanand Kumar, Netai Chandra Karmakar International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2022 Purpose. Two groups of heavy earthmoving equipment operators, transport equipment (dumper) operators and non-transport equipment (drill and shovel) operators, in coal mines are assessed comparatively for their vibration magnitude and possible health consequences. Methods. Whole-body vibration exposure measurements were recorded according to Standard No. ISO 2631-1. Measurements were carried out at the operator–seat interface with a tri-axial seat pad accelerometer using a vibration analyser, followed by a questionnaire survey. The binary logistic regression model was used to comparatively assess the two groups of operators. Results. The binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk of lower back pain is 4.06 times greater (95% confidence interval [1.36, 12.08]) in transport equipment operators compared to non-transport operators. The daily vibration dose value of the transport equipment operators was 2.92 times greater than their counterparts (95% confidence interval [0.94, 9.09]). However, non-transport equipment operators belonging to the high driving experience category presented a value 5.26 times higher than the transport equipment operators. Conclusion. Transport equipment operators are more vulnerable to vibration hazards than their counterparts, as is evident from the vibration magnitude as well as from the symptoms of lower back pain.
Occupational exposure of dumper operators to whole-body vibration in opencast coal mines: an approach for risk assessment using a Bayesian network Mahendra Kumar Atal, Sanjay Kumar Palei, Dhanjee Kumar Chaudhary, Vivekanand Kumar, Netai Chandra Karmakar International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2022 Whole-body vibration (WBV) is one of the leading risk factors for development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) that develop symptoms of lower back pain, pain in the neck and shoulders, digestive problems, blood pressure and diabetes among professional dumper operators. The present study specifically aimed at assessing the WBV exposure of 79 dumper operators engaged in two Indian opencast coal mines through vibration measurements followed by questionnaire survey. From the daily frequency-weighted root mean square exposure, dumper operators have experienced vibration levels higher than the Health Guidance Caution Zone (HGCZ) of Standard No. ISO 2631-1:1997. However, on the basis of daily vibration dose values, 60.8% of operators have experienced vibration levels above the HGCZ. Finally, an attempt was also made to explore the potential of a Bayesian network to predict the risk factors for WBV of dumper operators in development of MSDs to prioritize the factors for human health risk assessment.
Failure mode, effects and criticality analysis of dragline components and evaluation of risk priority number for effective maintenance planning Journal of Mines Metals and Fuels, 2020
Production scheduling of an iron deposit under ore grade uncertainty Journal of Mines Metals and Fuels, 2020
Receptor modelling of air pollutants for source apportionment on coal-based anthropogenic activities Journal of Mines Metals and Fuels, 2020
Risk assessment techniques for quantitative evaluation of postural risks in workplaces KJ Singh, SK Palei, NC Karmakar Ergonomics Risk Assessment in Unorganized Sectors , 2026 2026
Assessment of Relative Health Risks of Vibration-Exposed Equipment Operators in Coal Mines KJ Singh, SK Palei, NC Karmakar, S Gupta, A Kumar Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 29 (4), 254-259 , 2025 2025
A research methodology for assessment of whole-body vibration exposure of HEMM operators in mines — An approach KJ Singh, SK Palei, NC Karmakar Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research 84 (4), 456-467 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Discomfort survey of dumper operators exposed to whole-body vibration in opencast coal mines V Kumar, SK Palei, NC Karmakar Journal of Vibration and Control 31 (3-4), 583-591 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Role of contributing factors on health risks of whole-body vibration exposure of heavy equipment and vehicle operators: A critical review KJ Singh, SK Palei, NC Karmakar Journal of Vibration and Control 30 (11-12), 2338-2355 , 2024 2024 Citations: 25
Data-driven fault diagnosis approaches for industrial equipment: A review AR Sahu, SK Palei, A Mishra Expert Systems 41 (2), 1-29 , 2024 2024 Citations: 102
Long exposures to vibrations may cause musculoskeletal disorders SK Palei Times of India , 2023 2023
Fault diagnosis of dragline system using artificial intelligence - A causal analysis AR Sahu, SK Palei, S Rai, V Kashi 5th International Conference on Opencast Mining Technology & Sustainability … , 2023 2023
Fault analysis of dragline subsystem using Bayesian network model AR Sahu, SK Palei Reliability Engineering & System Safety 225 (September), 1-13 , 2022 2022 Citations: 34
Postural risk assessment of heavy earthmoving machinery operators in opencast coal mine KJ Singh, SK Palei, NC Karmakar 9th Asian Mining Congress on Technological Advancements in Mining Industry … , 2022 2022
Whole-body vibration exposure vis-à-vis musculoskeletal health risk of dumper operators compared to a control group in coal mines V Kumar, SK Palei, NC Karmakar, DK Chaudhary Safety and Health at Work 13 (1), 73-77 , 2022 2022 Citations: 41
Occupational exposure of dumper operators to whole-body vibration in opencast coal mines: an approach for risk assessment using a Bayesian network MK Atal, SK Palei, DK Chaudhary, V Kumar, NC Karmakar International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics 28 (2), 758-765 , 2022 2022 Citations: 26
Whole-body vibration exposure of heavy earthmoving machinery operators in surface coal mines: a comparative assessment of transport and non-transport earthmoving equipment … DK Chaudhary, SK Palei, V Kumar, NC Karmakar International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics 28 (1), 174-183 , 2022 2022 Citations: 43
Postural risk assessment of heavy earthmoving machinery operators in mines using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment KJ Singh, SK Palei, NC Karmakar, V Kumar, A Kumar, S Gupta 4th International Conference on Opencast Mining Technology & Sustainability … , 2021 2021
Economic risk assessment of PM10 in coal-based industrial region and its management strategy A Mishra, SK Palei, NC Karmakar, M Mishra Arabian Journal of Geosciences 14 (23) , 2021 2021
Real-time fault diagnosis of HEMM using Bayesian network: A case study on drag system of dragline AR Sahu, SK Palei Engineering Failure Analysis 118, 104917 , 2020 2020 Citations: 29
Receptor modelling of air pollutants for source apportionment on coal-based anthropogenic activities A Mishra, SK Palei, NC Karmakar Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels 68 (9), 293-303 , 2020 2020
Reliability analysis of dragline using equivalent aging model A Mishra, SK Palei, S Gupta Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 45 (8), 6975-6984 , 2020 2020 Citations: 14
Reliability-centered maintenance of rapier dragline for optimizing replacement interval of dragline components SK Palei, S Das, S Chatterjee Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 37, 1121-1136 , 2020 2020 Citations: 27
Application of risk-based maintenance using analytic hierarchy process for selection of maintenance policy of dragline BR Sahoo, SK Palei Journal of Mining Science 56 (4), 616-630 , 2020 2020 Citations: 10
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Logistic regression model for prediction of roof fall risks in bord and pillar workings in coal mines: An approach SK Palei, SK Das Safety Science 47 (1), 88-96 , 2009 2009 Citations: 184
Data-driven fault diagnosis approaches for industrial equipment: A review AR Sahu, SK Palei, A Mishra Expert Systems 41 (2), 1-29 , 2024 2024 Citations: 102
Sensitivity analysis of support safety factor for predicting the effects of contributing parameters on roof falls in underground coal mines SK Palei, SK Das International Journal of Coal Geology 75 (4), 241-247 , 2008 2008 Citations: 85
Whole-body vibration exposure of heavy earthmoving machinery operators in surface coal mines: a comparative assessment of transport and non-transport earthmoving equipment … DK Chaudhary, SK Palei, V Kumar, NC Karmakar International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics 28 (1), 174-183 , 2022 2022 Citations: 43
Whole-body vibration exposure vis-à-vis musculoskeletal health risk of dumper operators compared to a control group in coal mines V Kumar, SK Palei, NC Karmakar, DK Chaudhary Safety and Health at Work 13 (1), 73-77 , 2022 2022 Citations: 41
Fault analysis of dragline subsystem using Bayesian network model AR Sahu, SK Palei Reliability Engineering & System Safety 225 (September), 1-13 , 2022 2022 Citations: 34
Fault prediction of drag system using artificial neural network for prevention of dragline failure AR Sahu, SK Palei Engineering Failure Analysis 113, 104542 , 2020 2020 Citations: 31
Real-time fault diagnosis of HEMM using Bayesian network: A case study on drag system of dragline AR Sahu, SK Palei Engineering Failure Analysis 118, 104917 , 2020 2020 Citations: 29
Reliability-centered maintenance of rapier dragline for optimizing replacement interval of dragline components SK Palei, S Das, S Chatterjee Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration 37, 1121-1136 , 2020 2020 Citations: 27
Occupational exposure of dumper operators to whole-body vibration in opencast coal mines: an approach for risk assessment using a Bayesian network MK Atal, SK Palei, DK Chaudhary, V Kumar, NC Karmakar International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics 28 (2), 758-765 , 2022 2022 Citations: 26
Role of contributing factors on health risks of whole-body vibration exposure of heavy equipment and vehicle operators: A critical review KJ Singh, SK Palei, NC Karmakar Journal of Vibration and Control 30 (11-12), 2338-2355 , 2024 2024 Citations: 25
Reliability analysis of dragline using equivalent aging model A Mishra, SK Palei, S Gupta Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 45 (8), 6975-6984 , 2020 2020 Citations: 14
Application of risk-based maintenance using analytic hierarchy process for selection of maintenance policy of dragline BR Sahoo, SK Palei Journal of Mining Science 56 (4), 616-630 , 2020 2020 Citations: 10
Optimization of productivity with surface miner using conveyor loading and truck dispatch system SK Palei, NC Karmakar, P Paliwal, B Schimm International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology 2 (9), 393-396 , 2013 2013 Citations: 10
Guar gum in hydraulic fracturing in Indian shale mines N Jain, K Garg, NC Karmakar, SK Palei Present Technology and Safety Scenario in Mining and Allied Industries , 2013 2013 Citations: 7
Quantification of human error rate in underground coal mines — A fuzzy mapping and rough set based approach S Gupta, P Kumar, NC Karmakar, SK Palei 2013 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering … , 2013 2013 Citations: 6
Discomfort survey of dumper operators exposed to whole-body vibration in opencast coal mines V Kumar, SK Palei, NC Karmakar Journal of Vibration and Control 31 (3-4), 583-591 , 2025 2025 Citations: 4
Modeling of tolerable repair time without affecting system reliability A Mishra, P Murari, SK Palei, S Gupta 2014 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering … , 2014 2014 Citations: 4
Effects of demography and occupational traits on consequence of injury of underground coal miners SK Palei, NC Karmakar, RSM Reddy 2014 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering … , 2014 2014 Citations: 4
Production scheduling of an iron deposit under ore grade uncertainty PP Malharkumar, SK Palei, S Choudhury Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels 68 (3), 85-90 , 2020 2020 Citations: 2