Vibration, performance, and personality

Abstract

If the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) boundary for preservation of work efficiency, i.e., the "Fatigue Decreased Proficiency Boundary" (FDBP) has been appropriately set, then no human performance impairment would be observed under 8 Hz at that level of vibration when compared to 0 Hz conditions. As well, human performance would be consistent between two test sites, if care has been taken for standardization. Subjective evaluation of the vibration conditions would not correlate with performance but would correlate with the personality characteristic, degree of introversion vs. extraversion. To investigate these matters, the present study was conducted using 16 Subjects, two test sites and two levels of vibration. The Subjects were qualified physically fit for exposure to whole-body, z-axis vibration. The test sites were the Western Gear and C-5A in the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, Area B, Wright-Patterson AFB. They were selected to accommodate all the vibration frequencies used in an entire series of studies conducted by the University of Dayton Research Institute in conjunction with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.