New seat vibration-monitoring system

Sears Manufacturing, who produce a range of seats that meet the new whole-body vibration directive, have introduced the Sears VMS (vibration-monitoring system).

One of the requirements of the new EU Physical Agents Directive is to monitor and log the amount of vibration to which individual plant operators are exposed. The directive states that once an operator has been exposed to a certain degree of vibration, he/she then has to stop work for the rest of the day. The new Sears VMS seat incorporates such a monitoring system. This allows the monitoring of all harmful vibrations so that managers and operators can plan a working day or week effectively, thereby maximizing the use of available labour and allowing operators to work safely for a full day.

Sensors below the seating surface measure the amount of vertical or horizontal vibration. The data is then stored for downloading as required. The sensors are positioned to prevent tampering and do not affect the comfort, adjustment or performance of the seat.

The VMS provides a real-time indication of vibration levels received during the working day. The system can also be configured to work with portable storage devices such as a magnetic card or USB device, allowing individual operators to ‘sign in and out’ if they transfer from one machine to another.

The Physical Agents Directive also mandates a maximum level of hand-arm vibration (HAV). The VMS can also be configured to record and store HAV as transmitted through the seat and armrest as well as through other vehicle-mounted sources (controls, steering wheel etc) via an acceleration sensor worn on the hand or wrist.