Hand-arm vibration (HAV) can cause vibration white finger, a permanent and painful numbness and tingling in the hands and arms, also painful joints and muscle weakening. There is also evidence that it may cause carpel tunnel syndrome.
Hand-held portable power tools such as grinders, sanders, impact wrenches and air chisels are used extensively in motor vehicle repair (MVR). These transmit vibration into the operator's hands and arms. You should only purchase tools that have been designed and constructed to reduce the risk of vibration, and are suitable for their intended use. Train workers to use them safely and keep them properly maintained.
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 and/or infrequent low exposure is unlikely to cause ill health.
The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations place duties on employers and the self-employed to assess and identify measures to eliminate or reduce risks from exposure to hand-arm vibration.
Assessment
The assessment should:
- identify where there might be a risk from vibration and who is likely to be affected
- contain a reasonable estimate of employees' exposures
- identify what needs to be done to comply with the law, for example whether vibration control measures are needed and, if so, where and what type
- identify any workers who need to be provided with health surveillance and whether any are at particular risk
Identifying signs and symptoms at an early stage is important and workers need to report these to their employer.
Symptoms and effects of hand-arm vibration
Symptoms include any combination of:
- tingling and numbness in the fingers
- not being able to feel things properly
- loss of strength in the hands
- fingers going white (blanching) and becoming red and painful on recovery, particularly in the cold and wet, and probably only in the fingertips at first
For some people, symptoms may appear after only a few months of exposure, but for others they may take a few years. They are likely to get worse with continued exposure to vibration and may become permanent.
The effects on people include:
- pain, distress and sleep disturbance
- inability to do fine work (for example assembling small components) or everyday tasks (for example fastening buttons)
- reduced ability to work in cold or damp conditions (such as most outdoor work) which would trigger painful, finger-blanching attacks
- reduced grip strength, which might affect the ability to do work safely
Reducing the risks of vibration exposure
What you should do to reduce the risks of vibration exposure:
- use an alternative method of work that reduces vibration
- consider purchasing hand tools that are vibration reduced
- keep hand tools in a good state of repair, for example regularly serviced and maintained
- keep consumables in balance, such as providing training to eliminate bad tool use
- encourage employees to report early symptoms
Find out more on our hand-arm vibration pages.
Examples of hand-arm vibration incidents
Here is an example of how and why a hand-arm vibration incident occurred.
A panel beater had worked for over 15 years with a major car dealership, repairing vehicles using a variety of hand-held power tools. More recently the number of employees in the body shop fell but the workload remained fairly constant, and the panel beater's use of power tools rose from 2 or 3 hours a day to 5, 6 or even more.
They started to develop hand-arm vibration symptoms and reported it to their employer who eventually sent them for a medical examination, where they were diagnosed with early stage vibration white finger (VWF). Despite this their workload grew and his condition deteriorated.
HSE got to hear of the situation and investigated. On-site measurements taken by HSE showed that the panel beater's average daily usage was around double the recommended exposure – and sometimes considerably higher. The extent of his condition meant the panel beater had to give up vehicle repair work altogether.
The company was prosecuted and had to pay £38,000.