Mineworkers' Perspectives on Whole‐Body Vibration Exposures in the Ghanaian Mining Industry

Across most industries, there appears to be greater commitment to occupational safety than to occupational health, largely because safety effects are readily observable, whereas health effects are hard to notice, as they take prolonged exposure to become apparent. A specific example is whole‐body vibration (WBV) exposure, whose effects manifest in the long term. Previous WBV studies have focused on quantitative monitoring with limited focus on the perspectives of the equipment operators, who are the exposed group. Therefore, this research sought to bridge this gap by understanding the perspectives of earthmoving equipment (EME) operators on WBV exposure within Ghanaian mines. Data was collected through face‐to‐face semi‐structured interviews with 55 EME operators and 2 occupational hygienists and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results indicate that equipment characteristics were considered the dominant vibration sources perceived by the operators, followed by road conditions, activity undertaken, operator behavior and material type. Additionally, it was observed that managing whole‐body vibration exposures is a systemic problem requiring collaborative efforts and the tripartite roles of regulators, employers, and employees. This has been illustrated using the AcciMap method of risk management. Furthermore, the study showed that due to limited resources, organizational priorities, and culture, reactive measures are predominantly used to manage WBV exposure in the participating mines. Finally, the study revealed that a quantitative assessment of whole‐body vibration exposures is warranted to provide enough data to justify regulatory attention.