Comparative study of vibration disease among operators of vibrating tools by factor analysis.

Principal component analysis was carried out to determine the interrelationships between subjective symptoms experienced by workers using various types of vibrating tools (brush saws (41), rock drills (39), chipping hammers (42) and chain saws (49)) and control groups (clerks (44), farmers (42)). The characteristics of the patterns of common factors extracted from these symptoms and the frequency distribution of the factor score of the main principal components were compared among the groups. From a wide variety of symptoms, a principal component related to peripheral nerves, muscles, and joints and a component related to peripheral circulation were extracted specifically and separately. The complaints of rock drillers reflected peripheral circulatory factor and those of chain saw users presented a complex factor of nerve muscle, and joints.