Hand arm vibration is vibration that is transmitted from a piece of equipment to a person’s arms and hand. Equipment such as handheld power tools including grinder, drills, buffers and sanders etc. When we are exposed to hand arm vibration over a period of time, we risk permanent ill health which can result in hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and carpel tunnel syndrome (CTS).
HAVS is a condition that can impact a person day to day life, symptoms include:-
Many countries have introduced vibration exposure limits at work which must not be exceeded. The vibration of any hand tool is measured in magnitude m/s2, this is required by the legislation and is used along with trigger time to calculate the exposure of a person to give a daily A(8).
What are the action and limit values?
The Vibration Regulations require you to take specific action at certain action and limit values. These relate to the levels of vibration exposure of your employees averaged over a working day.
If a person is below the EAV no action is required except for recording this fact. If the EAV is exceeded the employer must take action to monitor the risk. If above the EAV but below the ELV then reduce exposure to as low a level as reasonably practicable.
If a person is above the ELV this is a STOP level as the employer must ensure that their employees are not exposed to a vibration above the ELV.
Hand Arm Vibration Assessments:
Nuclear
Universities
Forensics
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To find out more, get in touch with our team to discuss the benefits and innovative solutions we can bring to your HAV requirements.
