HAND-ARM VIBRATION GET TO GRIPS
HAVi Technologies’ Managing Director Kate Louise Cole addresses some of the key questions about HAVS to help businesses effectively manage the risks.
Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is a serious and disabling condition with more than 2 million people at risk in the UK. The condition occurs when vibration, generated by regular use of powered tools and machinery, is transmitted to the hands and arms of operatives. Symptoms can include pins and needles, numbness and reduced dexterity and grip. There is no cure for this condition.
HAVS MANAGEMENT There are some common misconceptions regarding the management of HAVS. Some companies that we speak to believe that simply recording operator vibration exposures demonstrates full compliance with the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (CVWR), which it doesn’t. Nor is it necessary for businesses to monitor every operative and every tool permanently. The HSE doesn't advocate this and neither do we.
There are two exposure values that have been outlined by the CVWR, these are ‘action’ and ‘limit’ values, it is these values that businesses need to ensure are not exceeded. Exposure to action value (EAV) represents the daily amount of vibration exposure an employee is exposed to, if this limit is exceeded the employer is required to take action. The exposure limit value (ELV) represents the maximum amount of vibration an employee may be exposed to on a single day. Simply
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WHAT THE HSE SAYS:
“If a hand-arm vibration measurement system is to be used then it should measure according to the requirements of BS EN ISO 5349-1: 2001. This standard specifies that vibration measurements shall be made on the vibrating surface at the point where the vibration enters the hand (or hands). In addition to the measurement methodology standard any equipment used to measure hand-arm vibration magnitudes should comply with BS EN ISO 8041:2005.”
staying beneath these exposures does not mean a business is compliant with the law. In order to reduce exposure to vibration in the workplace, we need to apply the principles of continuous improvement.
The HSE, in their guidelines L140, mandate the reduction of risk to ‘as low as reasonably practicable’ (ALARP) and go further by directing organisations to create a suitable and sufficient risk assessment as evidence of this. Of critical importance, this risk assessment must contain an accurate measurement of vibration magnitude of the tool being used (in accordance with BS EN 5349 and BS EN 8041) and also an accurate assessment of the time of exposure (trigger
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