某製鋼工場における振動工具作業者の実態

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In Japan, a good many papers relating to disorder of health by using vibrating tools were published during the period from 1955 to 1960. In about five years thereafter few reports were published. Since 1965 in Japan, on vibration diseases of woodcutters using chain-saw have been investigated by many authors one after another. Many woodcutters are at present suffering from Raynaud's phenomenon and have some other symptoms such as pain, numbness or weakness of the upper extremities. We have investigated in a steel works in order to know the health status of workers using vibrating tools and to elucidate the factors in relation to the genesis of vibration disorders. In this steel works, 490 men-about 10% of the total laborers are working with vibrating tools. Sorts of vibrating tools are air-grinders used on chipping steel castings, swing-grinders on chipping wrought steel, pneumers on cleaning sand out of steel cast, sand-rammers on ramming molt, and so on. The air-grinder, pneumer, and sand-rammer are all operated by compressed air, and the swing-grinder by an electric motor. The magnitude of acceleration of the pneumer and the air-grinder is especially large-pneumer: 20.5∼104.0 g, air-grinder: 2.0∼37.0 g. During the use of the vibrating tool operated by compressed air, its surface becomes frozen in winter. Investigations were made on 325 workers using vibrating tools as to subjective complaints which revealed that 9.2% of them had complaints of waxy, pale fingers, 23.1% numbness chiefly on the upper limbs, 21.6% pain, so-called "myalgic syndrome" chiefly on the upper limbs. Ninety workers having complaints and 15 workers not using vibrating tools were investigated as to objective signs such as decrease in the grasping power, cuff test, X-photoed, and a few biophysical tests with cold water i.e. cooling levy tests, and biochemical tests of blood and urine. This time, we studied especially on the cooling levy tests. Difference in the values of cooling levy test between the group using the tool and the control group not using it was found statistically significant. Therefore, these tests are thought to be useful in picking up suffered men among laborers using vibrating tools. Abnormal findings in the objective examinations have been correlated to subjective complaints. Workers using pneumers had much more subjective complaints and abnormal findings in objective examinations than those using the other kind. From the investigation on labor conditions such as working hours and the labor environment, subjective complaints and results of objective examinations, we consider that laborer's health disorders have heen comprehensively caused by: (1) acceleration of vibrating tools, (2) the way of handing vibrating tools, (3) dusty hours during which they use vibrating tools, (4) cold environment of the user, and (5) years of using vibrating tools. Correlations among these factors in causing the vibration disease are further to be studied.
社団法人日本産業衛生学会の論文
1969-01-20

某製鋼工場における振動工具作業者の実態

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