Bad vibrations: Are Hamilton roads bad enough to pose a health risk for HSR bus drivers?

HSR bus drivers are sick of Hamilton's rutted roads - but could that bumpy ride literally make them sick?

A study conducted last year on 30 HSR buses showed some of the roughest rides exceeded international standards for exposure to vibration - and poor road conditions had the most significant impact."

The assessment measured vibration levels as experienced by a HSR driver on various bus models and on parts of the Bayfront (4) and Rymal (44) routes. The assessment measured whole body" vibration through the driver seat and hand-arm vibration through the steering column.

The results did not identify a consistently inferior" bus model, but suggested road conditions are the most significant" factor in higher vibration exposure linked to likely" health risks. That includes, for example, less optimal" road conditions on stretches of Barton Street - identified in last year's CAA survey as Ontario's worst road.

These results would suggest that improving road conditions would result in a decrease in (all vibration) exposure to bus operators working for the HSR," reads the assessment conclusion by an expert consultant.

That finding fits with the bumpy beliefs of many HSR drivers, said transit union head Eric Tuck.

I think the biggest problem is in fact the road conditions in Hamilton," said Tuck, a 34-year driver who has had surgery to deal with carpal tunnel issues. It is certainly a major contributing factor to severe vibration on all buses."

HSR head Maureen Cosyn Heath said the city is still evaluating the preliminary study, which she added does not offer definitive conclusions." She agreed road conditions are one factor" the city must consider - but not the only one.

She said the HSR looks at ergonomics, seat adjustment, steering wheel placement and strategic breaks for stretching when it comes to injury prevention.

Regardless, Cosyn Heath said the results of the study are being discussed" within the larger public works department responsible for road repairs.

Certainly motorists - not just bus drivers - have complained loudly in recent years about pothole pitfalls in Hamilton.

Last year, pothole damage claims were being filed with the city at a record-setting pace by the end of February - and rutted roads were an election issue last fall. In 2018, a couple of HSR drivers also briefly refused to work over health concerns about rut-filled bus routes.

Worth noting: the most recent study results are not directly applicable to angry car drivers, or even bus riders. The threshold used to measure unhealthy vibration is meant for regular exposure, not short daily commutes.

Such studies are increasingly common for companies looking to protect workers exposed to constant vibration, like construction workers, transit or truck drivers, said professor Jim Dickey, the director of the joint biomechanics lab at the Western University school of kinesiology.

It's not as simple as saying too much vibration will result in injury, of course.

But Dickey said potential health risks" can be linked to regular exposure to vibration levels above the threshold used in the city's assessment. Such risks can include spine-related lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and even vibration-induced white fingers" caused by damaged blood vessels.

Matthew Van Dongen is a transportation and environment reporter at The Spectator. mvandongen@thespec.com