Controlling the risks from hand-arm vibration
The purpose of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 is to make sure that people do not suffer damage to their health from hand-arm vibration – so controlling the risks from exposure to hand-arm vibration should be where you concentrate your efforts.
Wherever there is exposure to hand-arm vibration, above the EAV, you should be looking for alternative processes, equipment and/or working methods which would eliminate or reduce exposure or mean people are exposed for shorter times. You should also be keeping up with what is good practice for vibration control within your industry.
Where there are things you can do to reduce risks from vibration, that are reasonably practicable, they should be done. However, where vibration exposures are below the EAV, risks are low and so you would only be expected to take actions, which are relatively inexpensive and simple to carry out.
Where your assessment shows that your employees are likely to be exposed at or above the Exposure Action Values, you must put in place a planned programme of vibration control.
How do I use the information from my risk assessment?
When you have identified who is at risk, you need to decide how you can reduce the risks. You must do all that is reasonable to control the risk. First, prepare an action plan for and deal with the high-risk work tasks. Then address the medium and lower-risk activities.
Risk Controls
Risk controls 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.
Example: Use a breaker attachment on an excavating machine to break concrete 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.
Example: To cut large holes in brickwork, use 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
Work equipment is likely to be replaced over time as it becomes worn out, and it is important that you choose replacements, so far as is reasonably practicable, which are suitable for the work, efficient and of lower vibration.
- Discuss your requirements with a range of suppliers.
- Check with suppliers that their equipment is suitable and will be effective for the work, compare vibration emission information for different brands/models of equipment, ask for vibration information for the way you plan to use the equipment, and ask for information on any training requirements for safe operation.
- 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.
Example: If a breaker has vibration-isolating handles, check how the machine must be operated to ensure the reduced vibration levels are achieved in use and ensure your operators have the necessary training.
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 grip heavy tools tightly.
Example: Where a heavy grinder is used at a permanent workstation to do repetitive work, suspend it from a counterbalance system to reduce the load on the operator's arms and the tightness of grip needed.
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.
Example: Check and sharpen chainsaw teeth regularly (following the manufacturer's recommendations) to maintain the chainsaw's efficiency and to reduce the time it takes to complete the work.
Work schedules
- Limit the time that your employees are exposed to vibration.
- 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 (see 'High risk (above the ELV)').
Example: Organise employees to work in teams where they switch tasks within the team to avoid individuals having unnecessarily high exposure to vibration.
Clothing
- Provide your employees with protective clothing when 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.
How do I know if the steps I have taken to control risks are working?
- Check regularly that the programme of controls you have introduced is being carried out by your managers and employees.
- Talk regularly to your managers, supervisors, employees and trade union safety representative or employee representative about whether there are any vibration problems with the equipment or the way it is being used.
- Check the results of health surveillance and discuss with the health service provider whether the controls appear to be effective or need to be changed.
Information and training to give to employees
You should provide your employees with information on:
- The health effects of hand-arm vibration;
- Sources of hand-arm vibration;
- Whether they are at risk, and if so whether the risk is high (above the ELV), medium (above the EAV) or low;
- The risk factors (eg the levels of vibration, daily exposure duration, regularity of exposure over weeks, months and years);
- How to recognise and report symptoms;
- The need for health surveillance, how it can help them remain fit for work, how you plan to provide it, how you plan to use the results and the confidentiality of the results;
- Ways to minimise risk including:
- Changes to working practices to reduce vibration exposure;
- Correct selection, use and maintenance of equipment;
- Correct techniques for equipment use, how to reduce grip force etc;
- Maintenance of good blood circulation at work by keeping warm and massaging fingers and, if possible, cutting down on smoking.
Make sure you give information in a way the employee can be expected to understand (for example you might need to make special arrangements if the employee does not understand English or cannot read).
Further information on vibration
Employee and safety representatives
Consulting with trade union appointed safety representatives or other employee representatives is a legal requirement. Working with safety representatives and employees representatives is a very useful means of communicating health and safety matters in your workplace. For example consult them over your proposals for training and information and your health surveillance programme.
Remember: involving your employees in decisions can help improve working relationships, make your employees more receptive to new ideas and help you control exposure to hand-arm vibration.
Providing 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 or are considered to be 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 in employees 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 can I arrange health surveillance?
Basic health surveillance consists of regularly seeking information about early symptoms of ill health by using a questionnaire. It may help you keep costs down if you 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, the internet or your nearest HSE office.
What should I expect from an occupational health service provider?
A suitable occupational health service provider will have training and experience in health surveillance for hand-arm 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.
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 that you are complying with these 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 in listed occupations has HAVS or carpal tunnel syndrome, as required by the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). For more information on RIDDOR see HSE's leaflet HSE31.