COVER STORY
MANAGING YOUR HAVS RISK
In this article, Pulsar Instruments looks at the importance of measuring vibration and how to use the vibration exposure points system to do this.
Measuring and monitoring the risk of Hand Arm Vibration exposure is a must. Not only to ensure the health and safety of your workforce but to also save yourself from unwanted claims for compensation.
WHY DO YOU NEED TO MEASURE VIBRATION? Measuring vibration is important to reduce the risks
of your employees developing hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), a permanent, painful and disabling condition.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations require employers to control the risks from vibration, provide information, instruction and training, and provide suitable health surveillance.
It is also your responsibility as an employer to reduce the risks from vibration and exposure to the lowest level reasonably practicable.
Vibration assessments apply to all companies, and the HSE recommends that even companies with less than five employees should record all Hand-Arm Vibration findings and review their assessments.
There has recently been an update to the Vibration at Work Regulations which means that it is now preferable for employers to record the results of their vibration assessments on a job basis rather than an individual task and risk basis.
HOW DO YOU MEASURE? Instruments such as the Pulsar vB Hand Arm
Vibration meter, use a tri-axial accelerometer to measure the vibration transferred from a tools handle to a worker’s hand.
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This device measures the vibration magnitude in meters per second squared and references this over a typical eight-hour day as the daily exposure and gives you the Exposure Points – the easiest way to calculate exposure - as well as the time to reach the Exposure Action Value (EAV) and Exposure Limit Value (ELV).
UNDERSTANDING THE EXPOSURE LIMITS The Vibration Regulations include an EAV and an ELV
which are based on a combination of the vibration at the grip point(s) on the equipment and the time spent gripping it.
The exposure action and limit values are:
The limit level must never be exceeded in a worker’s day, and employers should aim to reduce levels to as low as a level as is reasonably practicable. At the very least, employers should seek to ensure vibration is below the EAV.
USING VIBRATION EXPOSURE POINTS The action value of 100 points is made up of all the
trigger times from the tools used by a worker in their job on any given working day. Tools like the HSE’s Ready Reckoner, which is readily available on their website, make adding your vibration exposure points together straightforward.
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