Hand-arm vibration in Great Britain

More information on hand-arm vibration in Great Britain

Exposure to vibration at work through the use of hand-held, hand-fed or hand-guided power tools or machines can cause Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) and Dupuytren’s Contracture. Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome is made up of three components: vascular effects (also known as Vibration White Finger), sensorineural effects (numbness and tingling) and musculoskeletal effects (loss of grip strength, bone and joint disorders).

Our main source of information on the number of people developing these conditions is the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme (IIDB).  The numbers presented for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome include cases caused by repetitive movement of the wrist as well as cases caused by vibration.  It is not possible to separate out the vibration-related cases of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

There is limited information available on work-related hand-arm vibration. The IIDB scheme is HSE’s preferred data source, but annual incidence will tend to be underestimated for a number of reasons, including:

• Cases arising from circumstances other than those covered by the terms of the prescription;
• Individuals being unaware of the possible occupational origin of their disease;
• A lack of knowledge regarding the availability of compensation; and
• The scheme not including self-employed workers.

More information on the strengths and limitations of IIDB as a data source is available on the HSE statistics website.

More information:

• Data source
• Index of tables
• Tables for hand-arm vibration syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome:
• IIDB02-New cases of non-lung diseases in England, Wales and Scotland
• IIDB04-New cases of non-lung diseases by award status
• IIDB05-New cases by disease and industry, 3 year average for the latest years