HSE warn about the risks of vibration injuries in the workplace

The Health & Safety Executive has advised that in the UK there are about five million workers exposed to hand-arm vibration in the workplace

The Health & Safety Executive has advised that in the UK there are about five million workers exposed to hand-arm vibration in the workplace,  and two million of these workers are exposed to levels of vibration where there are clear risks of developing  permanent injury caused by the vibration.  

There are different types of injury caused by hand-arm vibration. The well-known injury is vibration white finger syndrome, however there are a number of other permanent injuries caused by vibration.

Health risks from vibration include painful and disabling disorders of the blood vessels, nerves, joints and muscles of the hands and arms. Hand-arm vibration syndrome, the umbrella phrase for injuries resulting from hand-arm vibration, is now the most common disease assessed by the Department for Work and Pensions for industrial injuries disablement benefit.  

New safety laws came into force in July 2005 called the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 with the aim of protecting workers from the health risks of hand-arm vibration.

Employers must assess and identify measures to eliminate or reduce health risks from exposure to hand-arm vibration to protect workers. The regulations introduce a new “exposure action value” for a worker’s daily exposure to hand-arm vibration. The medical view is that occasional exposure to vibration is not likely to result in permanent injury, it is when using a vibrating tool or using machinery that causes hand transmitted vibration is a regular part of a person’s job that there is a health risk from the vibration.  

The government and the HSE through the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 have attempted to improve peoples general level of understanding of the health risks from hand-arm vibration.

A lot of people still do not understand the health risks, and for example, believe that vibration white finger syndrome is an occupational illness suffered only by coal miners. A similar argument is sometimes raised by companies when civil claims for compensation are made against them by their workers who have developed permanent injuries caused by hand-arm vibration.

The Court of Appeal in the case of Brookes v South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, 2005 decided on the basis of the evidence that it had at the court hearing hat it was not until 1987 that the employer should have known of the health risks from vibration. Following this date the defendant employer came under an increasing duty to take steps to protect its workers from health risks caused by vibration. This court case involved men working as mechanical fitters repairing buses and coaches.   The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations have been introduced far too late to be of help to a large number of workers, however as can be seen from court cases such as Brookes, the courts will decide from which date employers should have taken active steps as part of their duty of care to workers to protect them against health risks such as  vibration.  

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Also how to identify whether you have grounds to make a claim for vibration injury. 

You may also wish to learn about the key legal issues in vibration white finger VWF claims.

Many people have made successful claims for white finger 

Case law regarding vibration injury claims

More links:

 What is Vibration white finger? - protecting workers against vibration injury - HSE on Vibration injuries