Human responses to vibration on a vessel during a storm in the marginal ice zone

Abstract

Dynamic inputs through interactions with waves and sea-ice result in significant noise and mechanical vibration on-board polar vessels, which creates challenging conditions to live and work in. Whole-body vibration that occurs in these environments may be debilitating to the health and comfort of occupants. Full-scale vibration measurements were conducted on the SA Agulhas II (SAAII., a modern polar research and supply vessel, during an oceanographic research expedition in the Southern Ocean. Measurements on Deck 4, Deck 7 and the Bridge were processed to evaluate the health and comfort of occupants on-board the vessel according to a standard methodology presented in ISO 2631-1. According to limits specified in ISO 2631- 1, vibration levels were classified as “a little uncomfortable” and sometimes “fairly uncomfortable” on the Bridge. During an open water storm the daily vibration exposure on the Bridge was only marginally lower than limits for occupational health risk specified in EU Directive 44/2002/EC. Metrics defined in ISO 2631-1 were further statistically correlated with human responses to slamming vibrations captured in passenger surveys. The metrics correlated strongly with daily subjective ratings of wave slamming events and with human complaints of interference with sleep and motor tasks. - Abstract as displayed in the - Abstract booklet. The presentation on the day may differ from the - Abstract.