RR717 - Evaluation of EN 60745 test codes: BS EN 60745-2-3:2007 angle grinders
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has an ongoing programme of research with the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) to investigate the relationship between manufacturers' declared vibration emission, HSL measured emission and vibration measured during simulated real, or real use for different categories of tool. The work described in this report assesses the standard test defined in BS EN 60745-2-3:2007 for usability and reproducibility. Angle grinders were used in this study as the other types of tools encompassed under the standard had been addressed in earlier research. The vibration emission values obtained according to the provisions of the test code were compared with vibration magnitudes measured under real operating conditions.
The report concludes that the standard is capable of producing vibration emission values which reflect both the upper quartile of in-use vibration magnitudes at the same locations and at the BS EN ISO 5349-2:2001 locations, meaning the test code produces data suitable (when combined with information about patterns of use) for estimating likely workplace exposures.
Duty holders should be advised that care still needs to be taken when using existing manufacturers' data for the purposes of exposure assessment, unless it has been measured according to the latest version of the test code, BS EN 60745-2-3:2007. Manufacturers should be encouraged to replace earlier declaration values with values measured according to the provisions in this standard.
This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy.
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