Hand Arm Vibration

Introduction

There are two types of vibration which can affect employees. They are Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), and Whole-Body Vibration (WBV). HAVS is preventable, but once the damage is done it is permanent. HAVS is a serious and disabling condition.

It is difficult to estimate the number of workers suffering from the effects of HAVS, however HSE (GB) found that Vibration White Finger (VWF) is the most prescribed disease under the Industrial Injuries Disability Benefit (IIDB) scheme for the last ten years, with extraction, energy and water supply industries showing the highest number of cases. Other industry groups with high rates of new assessed cases include:

  • manufacturing
  • construction
  • forestry
  • foundries
  • heavy engineering
  • motor vehicle repair

What causes HAVS?

HAVS is caused when vibration is transmitted to a worker’s hands and arms while using handheld and/or hand guided work equipment. This includes the holding of materials which are being fed into machinery.

Regular and frequent exposure to hand-arm vibration can lead to permanent health effects. This is most likely when contact with a vibrating tool or work process is a regular part of a person's job. Occasional exposure is unlikely to cause ill health.

Work equipment commonly associated with HAVS:

  • chainsaws
  • grinders (all types and sizes, for example angle, die, straight, vertical, etc)
  • hand-fed equipment, for example pedestal linishers, grinders, electric mops
  • impact drills
  • hand controlled equipment including mowers, floor saws, floor polishers
  • powered hammers for chipping, demolition, road breaking etc
  • sanders and polishers
  • handheld saws for concrete, metal, ground clearance etc
  • scabblers and needle guns
  • hammer drills

Symptoms of HAVS:

Symptoms can include a combination of:

  • tingling fingers/hands (one of the first signs of HAVS a worker might notice)
  • temporary or permanent numbness of the fingers and hands
  • loss of hand strength
  • reduced or loss of grip
  • fingers turning white in comparison to the rest of the hand (known as White Finger)
  • advanced Vibration White Finger

What effects do these symptoms have?

The effects on people include:

  • pain, distress and sleep disturbance
  • inability to do fine work (for example assembling small components) or everyday tasks such as fastening buttons
  • reduced ability to work in cold or damp conditions such as outdoor work which would trigger painful finger blanching attacks
  • reduced grip strength, which might affect the ability to do work safely

These effects can severely limit the jobs an affected person is able to do, as well as many family and social activities.

As an employer, what am I required to do?

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 requires employers to prevent or reduce risks to health and safety from exposure to vibration at work.

The Regulations require an employer to:

  • assess the risk from vibration to your employees
  • reduce the exposure to vibration
  • decide if employees are likely to be exposed above the daily exposure action value (EAV) limit, and if they are, introduce a programme of controls to eliminate risk, or reduce exposure to as low a level as is reasonably practicable, (ALARP)
  • decide if employees are likely to be exposed to vibration levels which are above the daily exposure limit value (ELV) and if they are take immediate action to reduce their exposure below the limit value
  • make sure the legal limits on vibration exposure are not exceeded
  • provide information and training to employees on health risks and the actions you are taking to control those risks
  • carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to a person’s health
  • keep health records for employees under health surveillance
  • consult your trade union safety representative or employee representative on your proposals to control risk and to provide health surveillance
  • keep a record of your risk assessment and control actions
  • review and update your risk assessment regularly

For more information please see the following link:

Vibration levels

What are the exposure action and limit values (EAV/ELV)?

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 requires employers to take specific action when the daily vibration exposure reaches a certain action value.

Daily exposures are expressed as eight-hour energy equivalent vibration magnitudes (A(8) values).

The exposure action value (EAV) is a daily amount of vibration exposure above which employers are required to take action to control exposure. The greater the exposure level, the greater the risk and the more action employers will need to take to reduce the risk.

For hand-arm vibration the EAV is a daily exposure of 2.5 m/s2 A(8).

The exposure limit value (ELV) is the maximum amount of vibration an employee may be exposed to on any single day. An ELV must not be exceeded, and it represents a high-risk limit above which employees should not be exposed.

For hand-arm vibration the ELV is a daily exposure of 5 m/s2 A(8).

A simple way to calculate the exposure to vibration is by using the 'exposure points' system to estimate the daily exposure:

Table of exposure points system
Tool vibration (m/s2) Points per hour (approximate)
3 20
4 30
5 50
6 70
7 100
10 200
12 300
15 450

Multiply the points assigned to the tool vibration by the number of hours of daily 'trigger time' for the tool(s) and then compare the total with the exposure action value (EAV) and exposure limit value (ELV) points:

  • 100 points per day = exposure action value (EAV)
  • 400 points per day = exposure limit value (ELV)

HSE(GB) provide online tools to assist in estimating exposure, as  can be found at the following link:

However, a very simple way to establish if workers are at risk is work out if they use:

  • hammer action tools for more than approx. 15 minutes per day
  • some rotary and other action tools for more than about one hour per day

If your calculations reach these values, then your employees are at an increased risk of developing HAVS.

Monitoring

Monitoring hand-arm vibration exposure is not the same as calculating exposure for a risk assessment. Continuous monitoring may not be an effective use of resources and it is not a risk reduction tool. In order to comply with the law you must demonstrate you have reduced vibration risk to as low as is reasonably practicable, (ALARP).

HSE (GB) guidance on monitoring and the relevant standards can be found at the following link:

Risk assessment

The risk assessment is a process that employers should use to establish who is at risk, what you are doing well to control the risk and what you can improve.

Your risk assessment should:

  • identify where there might be a risk from vibration and who is likely to be affected - consider high and medium risk first
  • contain a reasonable estimate of your workers' exposures
  • identify what you need to do to comply with the law for example whether vibration control measures are needed, and, if so, where and what type
  • identify any employees who need to be provided with health surveillance and whether any are at particular risk
  • be reviewed regularly

High risk (above the ELV) includes employees who regularly operate:

  • hammer action tools for more than about one hour per day
  • rotary and other action tools for more than about four hours per day

Employees in this group are likely to be above the exposure limit value set out in the Regulations. The limit value could be exceeded in a much shorter time in some cases, especially where the tools are not the most suitable for the job.

Medium risk (above the EAV) includes employees who regularly operate:

  • hammer action tools for more than about 15 minutes per day
  • some rotary and other action tools for more than about one hour per day

Employees in this group are likely to be exposed above the exposure action value set out in the Regulations.

When planning to carry out a risk assessment for HAVs, you should;

  • identify equipment that may cause vibration, and what sort of work it is used for
  • collect information about the equipment from operators manual - for example make, model, power, vibration risks and vibration information
  • identify all employees who will use the vibrating equipment and the jobs they do
  • measure how long employees' hands are actually in contact with the equipment while it is vibrating - in some cases this 'trigger time' may only be a few minutes in several hours of work with the equipment
  • consult with employees about equipment that emits high vibration
  • identify other issues during operation, such as
    •  weight
    • awkward postures needed to use the tool
    • difficulty in holding
    • operation
  • record the relevant information they have collected and their assessment of who is likely to be at risk

Reducing the risk

There are several practical ways of reducing exposure to vibration from plant and equipment.

These include:

Alternative work methods

  • look for alternative work methods which eliminate or reduce exposure to vibration - your trade association, other industry contacts, equipment suppliers and trade journals may help you identify good practice in your industry
  • mechanise or automate the work - for example, a breaker attachment on an excavating machine to break concrete could be used rather than using a hand-held breaker

Equipment selection

  • make sure that equipment selected or allocated for tasks is suitable and can do the work efficiently - equipment that is unsuitable, too small or not powerful enough is likely to take much longer to complete the task and expose employees to vibration for longer than is necessary
  • select the lowest vibration tool that is suitable and can do the work efficiently
  • limit the use of high-vibration tools wherever possible - for example, to cut large holes in brickwork, consider using a diamond-tipped hole-cutting drill bit with a rotary action rather than a tungsten-tipped hole bit which requires rotary and hammer action

Purchasing policy for replacing old equipment and tools

  • get your employees to try the different models and brands of equipment and take account of their opinions before you decide which to buy
  • find out about the equipment's vibration reduction features and how to use and maintain the equipment to make these features effective
  • make sure your organisation has a policy on purchasing suitable equipment, taking account of vibration emission, efficiency and your specific requirements
  • train purchasing staff on the issues relating to vibration so that they can deal effectively with equipment suppliers

Workstation design

  • improve the design of workstations to minimise loads on employees' hands, wrists and arms caused by poor posture
  • use devices such as jigs and suspension systems to reduce the need to tightly grip heavy tools

Maintenance

  • introduce appropriate maintenance programmes for your equipment to prevent avoidable increases in vibration (following the manufacturer's recommendations where appropriate)
  • do not use blunt or damaged concrete breaker and chipping hammer chisels and replace consumable items such as grinding wheels, so that equipment is efficient and keeps employee exposure as short as possible

Work schedules

  • limit the time that your employees are exposed to vibration (trigger time)
  • plan work to avoid individuals being exposed to vibration for long, continuous periods - several shorter periods are preferable
  • where tools require continual or frequent use, introduce employee rotas to limit exposure times (you should avoid employees being exposed for periods which are long enough to put them in the high-risk group)

Clothing

  • provide your employees with protective clothing where necessary, to keep them warm and dry - this will encourage good blood circulation which should help protect them from developing vibration white finger
  • gloves can be used to keep hands warm but should not be relied upon to provide protection from vibration

Health surveillance

Do I need to provide health surveillance?

You must provide health surveillance for all your employees who, despite your action to control the risk, are likely to be regularly exposed above the Exposure Action Value (EAV) or are at risk for any other reason.

The purpose of health surveillance is to:

  • identify anyone exposed or about to be exposed to hand-arm vibration who may be at particular risk, for example people with blood circulatory diseases such as Raynaud's Disease
  • identify any vibration-related disease at an early stage where employees are regularly exposed to hand-arm vibration
  • help you prevent disease progression and eventual disability
  • help people stay in work
  • check the effectiveness of your vibration control measures

You should consult with your trade union safety representative, or employee representative, and the employees concerned before introducing health surveillance. It is important that your employees understand that the aim of health surveillance is to protect them from developing advanced symptoms of ill health so that they can continue to work. You will need their understanding and co-operation if health surveillance is to be effective.

How often should I provide health surveillance?

There should be initial screening for people moving into jobs where they are exposed to vibration and then annually after. See paragraphs 173 in Hand-arm vibration - The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (L140) (hse.gov.uk) for a more detailed explanation.

What does health surveillance involve?

Basic health surveillance for vibration consists of regularly seeking information about early symptoms of ill health by using a questionnaire. If you are competent to do so, you could carry out this function yourself, referring any positive responses to an occupational health service provider.

Alternatively, you could ask an occupational health service provider to provide a complete service on your behalf. You should be able to find details of occupational health service providers from your trade association, your local telephone directory, or the internet.

What should I expect from an occupational health service provider?

A suitable occupational health service provider will have training and experience in health surveillance vibration. They should be able to:

  • advise you on a suitable health surveillance programme for your employees.
  • set up the programme
  • provide the necessary training and supervision for your staff if they are going to help with the basic health surveillance
  • provide suitably qualified and experienced staff to carry out the higher level health surveillance
  • provide you with reports on your employees' fitness to continue work with vibration exposure

Our following webpage provides tips for purchasing occupational health services:

What do I have to do with the results of health surveillance?

You will need to:

  • keep records of the health surveillance and fitness for work advice provided for each employee (but not the confidential medical records which are kept by the doctor) - your health and safety inspector is entitled to ask to see the health records as part of their checks to ensure that you are complying with Regulations
  • make employees' records available to them
  • act upon any recommendations made by the doctor about employees' continued exposure to vibration
  • use the results to review and, if necessary, revise your risk assessment, including your plans to control risks
  • discuss any changes to your risk assessment with your trade union safety representative or employee representative
  • notify the relevant enforcing authority when advised in writing by a doctor that an employee has HAVS or carpal tunnel syndrome, as required by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (Northern Ireland)

Key Legislation

Please note that these links are to the original legislation, visitors should verify for themselves whether legislation is in force or whether it has been amended or repealed by subsequent legislation.

Resources

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related to Hand Arm Vibration

Most recent publications

Report of an injury or a dangerous occurrence (NI2508)

02 June 2021

RIDDOR (NI) 97 booklet

01 December 2022

Access to information

How to request information from the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland including Freedom of Information (FOI) and the use of our Publication Scheme.