An official end to bad vibrations looms

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 place a clear duty on employers to take action to ensure their staff are not exposed to a daily 'exposure action value' above 2.5 m/s2 - as opposed to 2.8 m/s2 previously – or an overall exposure limit value of 5 m/s2, to reduce the risk of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). For equipment purchased before 6 July 2007, the new daily vibration levels under the 2005 Regulations do not come into force until 6 July 2010, but 3M is advising companies to act now to ensure vibration levels for all equipment comply with the Regulations, and that companies are working in line with all aspects of the Regulations by that date. HAVS manifests itself in a variety of symptoms, the most common of these being Vibration White Finger (VWF), a whitening of the fingers which can lead to circulatory, joint, muscle and nerve problems. HAVS is most likely to occur among employees working in foundries, heavy industry or metal product manufacturing, where regular use of grinding equipment and other tools may expose operators to higher levels of vibration. Nigel Willcock, technical service specialist for 3M's Abrasive Systems Division, explained: "Since 2005, companies have been able to allow their employees to use older equipment, which may cause vibration above the level prescribed by the 2005 Regulations, but the clock is now ticking down to the time when equipment may need to be replaced if it does not meet the limits prescribed in the Regulations."