Design and developments of a low-cost velocity sensor to refine analysis during whole-body vibration assessments

The area between a truck trailer and a logistics platform is of primary importance for pallet-truck drivers exposed to whole-body vibration. INRS French Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Accidents and Diseases
has developed an experimental protocol to assess ground roughness to better characterise the coverings of connection equipment (i.e. dock levellers). A speed sensor is required for this assessment. Knowledge of the instantaneous velocity is also essential to better analyse the daily exposure of workers exposed to vibrations during their driving sessions on a handling machine. Unfortunately, the sensors available on the market are expensive and often bulky, which makes these measurements difficult to carry out in companies.
This article presents the development of a low-cost (< 200) and contactless speed sensor produced by INRS. Different experimental conditions were tested to assess in which configurations the speed measurements are valid. The results were comparable to those of a commercially available sensor (~ 20k). The work now aims to find solutions to correct inaccuracy and errors so that it can be used by French safety controllers during their interventions. This will allow them to improve their analyses and their recommendations when implementing preventive actions that take into account changes in velocity.