EU Good Practice Guide HAV [616335]

EU Good Practice Guide HAV

HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 1 06/12/2005

Guide to good practice on
Hand-Arm
Vibration

Non-binding guide to good practice with a view to
implementation of Directive 2002/44/EC on the
minimum health and safety requirements
regarding the exposure of workers to the risks
arising from physical agents (vibrations).

EU Good Practice Guide HAV CONTENTS
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 2 06/12/2005 CONTENTS
Contents……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. .2
Forward ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Chapter 1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………6
Chapter 2 Evaluation of risk ……………………………………………………………………………9
2.1 The basics of risk assessment ………………………………………………………………10
2.2 Determining exposure duration……………………………………………………………13
2.3 Vibration magnitude……………………………………………………………………………15
2.3.1 Use of manufacturer’s emission data…………………………………………………15
2.3.2 Use of other data sources …………………………………………………………………16
2.3.3 Measurement of vibration magnitude………………………………………………….17
2.4 Calculating daily vibration exposures…………………………………………………..19
2.4.1 Daily Vibration Exposure ………………………………………………………………..19
2.4.2 Partial Vibration Exposures ……………………………………………………………..19
2.4.3 Uncertainty of daily exposure evaluations………………………………………….19
Chapter 3 Removing or reducing exposure ……………………………………………………..20
3.1 Developing a control strategy ………………………………………………………………21
3.2 Risk controls……………………………………………………………………………………….22
3.2.1 Substitution of other working methods………………………………………………22
3.2.2 Equipment selection …………………………………………………………………………22
3.2.3 Purchasing policy……………………………………………………………………………22
3.2.4 Workstation design …………………………………………………………………………24 3.2.5 Maintenance…………………………………………………………………………………..24
3.2.6 Training and information to workers …………………………………………………25
3.2.7 Work schedules………………………………………………………………………………26
3.2.8 Clothing and personal protection………………………………………………………26
3.3 Monitoring and reassessment ………………………………………………………………28
3.3.1 How do I know if my hand-arm vibration controls are working? ………….28
3.3.2 When do I need to repeat the risk assessment?……………………………………28
Chapter 4 Health Surveillance ……………………………………………………………………….29
4.1 When is health su rveillance required?………………………………………………….30
4.2 What techniques are available?……………………………………………………………31

EU Good Practice Guide HAV CONTENTS
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 3 06/12/2005 4.3 What recording is required?………………………………………………………………..34
4.4 What to do if inju ry is identified? ………………………………………………………..35
Annex A Health risks, signs and symptoms …………………………………………………36
A.1 Vascular disorders …………………………………………………………………………36
A.2 Neurological disorders……………………………………………………………………37
A.3 Carpal-tunnel syndrome ………………………………………………………………..37
A.4 Musculoskeletal disorders………………………………………………………………37
Annex B Summary of responsibilities de fined by Directive 2002/44/EEC ………38
Annex C What is vibration? ……………………………………………………………………….40
C.1 What is vibration?………………………………………………………………………….40
C.2 What is measured?…………………………………………………………………………40
C.3 What is frequency and frequency-weighting?………………………………….41
C.4 What parameters are used for exposure assessment?………………………41
C.5 What instrumentation should be used? …………………………………………..42
Annex D Tools for calculating daily exposures…………………………………………….43
D.1 Web-based tools …………………………………………………………………………….43
D.2 Daily exposure graph……………………………………………………………………..43
D.3 Daily exposure nomogram ……………………………………………………………..43
D.4 Exposure points system ………………………………………………………………….43
D.5 Traffic light system ………………………………………………………………………..44
Annex E Worked Examples ……………………………………………………………………….49
E.1 Where just one mach ine is used………………………………………………………49
E.2 Where more than one machine is used ……………………………………………49
Annex F Glossary ……………………………………………………………………………………..51
Annex G Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………….52
G.1 EU Directives…………………………………………………………………………………52
G.2 Standards………………………………………………………………………………………52
G.3 Scientific pu blications…………………………………………………………………….53
G.4 Guidance publications ……………………………………………………………………56
G.5 Web sites ……………………………………………………………………………………….58
Index………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. .59

EU Good Practice Guide HAV FORWARD
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 4 06/12/2005 FORWARD
Directive 2002/44/EC of the European Par liament and of the Council on the exposure
of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (vibration) seeks to introduce, at Community level, minimum protection requi rements for workers when they are
exposed, in the course of their wor k, to risks arising from vibration.
Directive 2002/44/EC gives ‘exposure limit valu es’ and ‘exposure action values’. It
also specifies employers' obligations with regard to determining and assessing risks, sets out the measures to be taken to re duce or avoid exposure and details how to
provide information and training for worker s. Any employer who intends to carry out
work involving risks arising from exposure to vibration must implement a series of
protection measures before and during th e work. The Directive also requires the
Member States of the EU to put in place a suitable system for monitoring the health of workers exposed to risks arising from vibration.
The evaluation and assessment of risks ar ising from exposure to vibration and the
implementation of protection measures can be complicated. This non-binding "guide
to good practice" will facilita te the assessment of risk s from exposure to hand-arm
vibration, the identification of controls to eliminate or reduce exposure, and the
introduction of systems to prevent the de velopment and progression of injury.
This guide on hand-arm vibration, together with its companion guide on whole-body
vibration (ref), has been prepared unde r contract VC/2004/0341 for the European
Commission General Direction Employ ment and Social Affairs.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 5 06/12/2005 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This guide has been produced by:
ISVR: Institute of Sound and Vibration Research
University of Southampton, U.K.
HSL: Health and Safety Laboratory
U.K.
BGIA: Berufsgenossenschaftliches Institut für Arbeitsschutz,
Germany.
INRS: Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité,
France.
HSE: Health and Safety Executive
U.K.
We would also like to acknowledge the information generated by two EC-funded
Projects, which has been used in preparing this guide:
VIBRISKS: Risks of Occupa tional Vibration Exposures,
EC FP5 project no. QLK4-2002-02650.
VINET: Research Network on Detecti on and Prevention of Injuries due to
Occupational Vibration Exposures, EC Biomed II project no. BMH4-CT98-3251.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV INTRODUCTION
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 6 06/12/2005 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION [H1]
This guide is intended to help emplo yers identify hand-arm vibration hazards,
assess exposures and risks and identify me asures for safeguarding the health and
safety of workers exposed to hand-arm vibration risks.
The guide should be read in conjunction w ith the Vibration Directive or national
legislation based on the require ments of that Directive.
Workers whose hands are regularly exposed to vibration may suffer from damage to
the tissues of the hands and arms, which cause the symptoms collectively known as
hand-arm vibration syndrome, see Annex A .
Hand-arm vibration risks affect people across many industries and occupations. The
risks are greatly increased with use of high er vibration equipment and with prolonged
and regular use of the equipment. However, investigations have shown that vibration
hazards can be controlled and risks reduced by good management. They have also
shown that the costs of such controls need not be high and can usually be offset by the
benefits of keeping workers healthy. Add itionally, the vibration control measures
have, in many cases, led to improved efficiency.
The EU Vibration Directive (Directive
2002/44/EC – see further reading box) sets
minimum standards for controlling the risks from hand-arm vibration (National legislation
may apply more favourable provisions). The Directive requires employers to control the hand-arm vibration risks of their workforce; it defines a daily exposure action value , above
which certain actions are required and a daily exposure limit value above which employees
should not be exposed
1:
• a daily exposure action value of 2,5 m/s²
• a daily exposure limit value of 5 m/s².
The Vibration Directive places requirements
on employers to ensure that risks from hand-arm vibration are eliminated or reduced to a minimum. These responsibilities are summarised in Annex B
.

1 Member states are entitled (after consultation with the two sides of industry) to apply transitional
periods to the exposure limit value for a period of 5 years from 6th July 2005 (Member States are
entitled to extend this period for a further 4 years for agricultural and forestry machinery). The transitional periods only apply to the use of machinery supplied prior to 6
th July 2007 for which (taking
into account all available technical or organisational means to control the risk) the exposure limit value
cannot be respected.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV INTRODUCTION
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 7 06/12/2005 The Vibration Directive is a daughter Directive of the Framework Directive
(Directive 89/391/EEC – see “Further reading” box) as such many of the requirements
of the Vibration Directive are derived fro m, and make specific reference to, the
Framework Directive.
This guide will help employers comply with the Vibration Directive as it applies to
hand-arm vibration. The guide is intende d to cover the methodology used for
determining and evaluating risks; dealing with the choice and correct use of work
equipment, the optimisation of methods and the implementa tion of protection
measures (technical and/or organisational measures) on the basis of a prior risk
analysis. This guide also gives details of th e type of training and information to be
provided to the workers concerned and pr oposes effective solutions for the other
matters raised in Directive 2002/44/EC. The st ructure for this guide is shown in the
flow diagram of Figure 1 .
Further reading:
Vibration Directive:
Directive 2002/44/EC of the European par liament and of the Council of 25 June
2002 on the minimum health and safety re quirements regarding the exposure of
workers to the risks arising from physical agents (vibration) (sixteenth individual
Directive within the meaning of Ar ticle 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC)
Framework Directive:
Directive of 89/391/EEC of the European pa rliament and of th e Council of 12 June
1989 on the introduction of measures to enc ourage improvements in the safety and
health of workers at work.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV INTRODUCTION
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 8 06/12/2005 Evaluation of risk Chapter 2
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
3.1
3.2Chapter 3
Chapter 4Risk assessment basics
Assessing daily exposures
Exposure Duration
Vibration magnitude
Manufacturer’s data
Other sources
Measurement
Daily Exposure calculations
A(8)
Removing or reducing exposure
Developing a control strategy
Risk controls
Substitution of other work methods
Equipment Selection
Purchasing policy
Task and process design
Maintenance
Training and information to workers
Work schedules
Clothing and personal protection
Monitoring and Reassessment
Are the controls working?
Health surveillanceRepeating the risk assessmentHand-arm
Vibration at work
When is health surveillance required?
What techniques are available?
What recording is required?
What to do if injury is identified?4.24.1
4.3
4.43.43.3

Figure 1 Hand-arm vibration flow diagram

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 9 06/12/2005 CHAPTER 2 EVALUATION OF RISK
The purpose of the hand-arm vibration risk assessment is to enable you as the
employer to make a valid decision about the measures necessary to prevent or
adequately control the risks from expos ure of workers to hand-arm vibration.
In this chapter we show how you can d ecide whether you may have a problem with
hand-arm vibration exposures in your work place without the need for measurement
or any detailed knowledg e of exposure assessment

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 10 06/12/2005 2.1 The basics of risk assessment [H2]
The risk assessment should:
• identify where there may be a risk from
hand-arm vibration;
• estimate employees’ exposures and
compare them with the exposure action
value and exposure limit value;
• identify the available risk controls;
• identify the steps you plan to take to
control and monitor hand-arm vibration
risks; and
• record the assessment, the steps that have
been taken and their effectiveness.
A starting point is to consider the industr y you work in, the processes involved and
the tools and equipment used, and ask: “Does your business use hand-held, hand-
guided or handfed powered equipment?” If so, you may need to manage exposures to vibration. Some questions to help you deci de whether further action is required are
shown in Table 1
. Figure 2 , show sample vibration magn itudes of some of the tools
and machines that create the risks.
The factors that govern a person’s dail y vibration exposure are the frequency-
weighted magnitude (level) of vibration and the length of time the person is exposed to it. The greater the magnitude or the longe r the duration of exposure, the greater will
be the person’s vibration exposure.
It is important to keep employees and thei r representatives involved and informed in
the assessment of vibration risk. An effective partnership with employees will help to ensure the information used for the risk assessment is based on realistic assessments of the work being carried out and the time taken to do that work.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 11 06/12/2005
Table 1 Some questions to help deci de whether further action is needed
Do you use rotary action tools (e.g. grinders, polishers)?
Some rotary action tools can exceed the exposure action value within
about half an hour, and you should certainly be taking action if
individual employees are using them for more than about 2 hours per
day.
Do you use impact or percussive tools (i.e. hammer-action tools)?
With impact or percussive tools the levels of vibration are likely to be
much higher than rotary tools. Some hammer action tools can exceed
the exposure action value within a few minutes, and you should
certainly be taking action if individual employees are using them for
more than about half an hour per day.
Do the manufacturers or suppliers of your tools warn of a risk from vibration?
If you are using hand-held power tools that may put the users at risk of
vibration injury, the manufacturer should warn you about it in the
handbook.
Do any vibrating tools cause tingling or numbness in the hands during or after use?
Tingling or numbness of the hands may be noticeable during or after
use of a power tool and is an indica tor of hand-arm vibration risk from
long-term tool use.
Have any vibration-exposed employees already reported symptoms of hand-arm vibration
syndrome?
Evidence of hand-arm vibration syndrome means that vibration exposures need to be managed. Where symptoms are linked to
exposures that are below the action value, it may identify workers who
are particularly susceptible to hand-arm vibration risks.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 12 06/12/2005 Chipping
hammers
Rock Drills
Grinders
Demolition
Hammers
Road
Breakers
Impact Drills
Impact
wrenches
Sanders
Rammers
Saws
Die
Grinders
Needle
Scalers
Plate
compactors
Chainsaws
Clearing
saws0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35Acceleration ahv (m/s²)
Median
25 & 75th percentile

Figure 2 Examples of vibratio n magnitudes for common tools
(Sample data based on workplace vibration measurements of total vibration
values a hv by HSL and INRS between 1997 and 2005. This data is for
illustration only and may not be representative of machine use in all
circumstances)

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 13 06/12/2005 2.2 Determining exposure duration
To assess the daily vibration exposure an estimate is
required of the time that the tool operators are
exposed to the vibration. Ex perience has shown that
this is often overestimated during the risk assessment.
In this chapter we look at what exposure time
information is needed and how it can be determined.
Before the daily vibration exposure , A(8), can be estimated, you need to know the
total daily duration of exposure to the vibra tion from each tool or process being used.
You should be careful to count only the time that the employee is exposed to
vibration; a period when an employee has put the equipment down or is holding it but
not operating it should not be counted.
The contact time or trigger time is the time that the hands are actually exposed to the
vibration from the tool or workpiece. The trig ger time is often very much shorter than
the overall “time on the job” and is usually over-estimate d by operators. The method
used for estimating trigger times often depends on whether the tool usage is continuous or intermittent:
Continuous tool operation:
Example: the use of a grinder to re move large amounts of material over
several hours.
Observe work during a representative part of the working day and record how
much of the time the tool is operating. A stopwatch or video recording can be useful for this.
Intermittent tool operation:
Example: Use of impact wrench to tighten wheel-nuts on vehicles.
You may have access to information on the number of operations that occur
during the working day (e.g. the number of components completed per day). If
an average duration for an operation is estimated by observing the work rate over a sample work period then the to tal daily duration can be calculated.
For our example of an impact wrench, you may know the number of wheels
removed and replaced per day and the number of wheel-nuts per wheel, you will also need to know how long it typi cally takes to remove or replace one
wheel-nut.

Work patterns also need careful consider ation. For example some workers may only
use vibrating tools for certai n periods in a day or week. Typical usage patterns should

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 14 06/12/2005 be established, as these will be an important factor in calculating a person’s likely
vibration exposure.
Further reading:
EN ISO 5349-2:2001 Mechanical vibrati on — Measurement and evaluation of
human exposure to hand-transmitted vibra tion. Part 2: Practical guidance for
measurement at the workplace
CEN/TR 15350 Mechanical vibration — Guideline for the assessment of
exposure to hand-transmitted vibration using available information including that provided by manufacturers of machinery

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 15 06/12/2005 2.3 Vibration magnitude [H3]
Hand-arm vibration risk is based on the frequency-weighted acceleration total
value a hv, given by the root-sum-of-squares of the frequency-wei ghted acceleration
from the three orthogonal axes, x, y and z:
2
hwz2
hwy2
hwx hv a a a a + + =
The value is assessed at the point wh ere the vibration enters the hand (see
Annex C ).
The vibration information you use to do your vibration assessment needs to match
as closely as possible the likely vibrati on emissions of the equipment you plan to
use in the way you plan to use it.
In this chapter we look at how vibra tion can be estimated from manufacturer’s
data, other published data sources and from workplace measurement.
2.3.1 Use of manufacturer’s emission data
The European “Machinery Directive” (Direc tive 98/37/EC) defines essential health
and safety requirements for machinery supplie d within the European Union, including
specific requirements regarding vibration.
Amongst other requirements, the Machin ery Directive requires manufacturers,
importers and suppliers of machines to pr ovide information on vibration emissions at
the hand. This vibration emission informati on should be given in the information or
instructions that accompany the machine.
Manufacturer’s declared vibration emission values are usually obtained according to
harmonised European vibrati on test codes produced by Eu ropean or International
standards bodies, and (from 2005) these are based on EN ISO 20643. Examples are
the EN ISO 8662 series for pneumatic and other non-electric tools and the EN 60745
series for electric tools.
Emission data from manufacturer s can tell you how much vibration is likely to enter a
person’s hands when using a particular power tool. This may be useful to help make
an estimate of daily exposure and an assessment of risk.
At present, the vibration te st codes tend to unde r-estimate the vibration of tools when
they are being used in the workplace, a nd are usually based on measurements in a
single vibration axis. CEN/TR 15350 a dvises that for estimating risk, the
manufacturer’s declared emission value should in most cases be multiplied by a factor
depending on the type of tool:
Combustion engine tools:
1×

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 16 06/12/2005 Pneumatic tools: 5,1× to 2×
Electric tools: 5,1× to 2×
Where manufacturers declare emission valu es less than 2,5m/s², then a value of
2,5m/s² should be used and multiplie d by the appropriate factor.
More information on these multiplication f actors is given in CEN/TR 15350. Where
there is no better information and a range of multiplying factors is given, the higher value should be used.
Many harmonised European vibration test codes are currently (in 2005) under review
The revised test codes should result in improved emission values that will not be directly comparable with older emission data, but should provide a more accurate
guide to the vibration experienced in the workplace.
Further reading:
EN 12096:1997 Mechanical vibration — Declaration and verification of
vibration emission values
EN ISO 20643:2005 Mechanical vibrati on — Hand-held and hand-guided
machinery. Principles for ev aluation of vibration emission
CEN/TR 15350: 2005 Mechanical vibration — Guideline for the assessment of
exposure to hand-transmitted vibration using available information including that provided by manufacturers of machinery
2.3.2 Use of other data sources
There are other sources of information on vibration magnitude s, which are often
sufficient to allow you to decide whethe r the exposure action value or the exposure
limit value is likely to be exceeded.
Your trade association or equi valent may also have useful vibration data and there are
international vibrati on databases on the Internet, which may meet your needs. This
may be suitable for some employers to do an initial vibration risk assessment.
Other sources of vibratio n data include specialist vibration consultants and
government bodies. Some data can also be found in various techni cal or scientific
publications and on the Internet and some da ta on typical real-use vibration may be
available on manufacturer’s web sites. Two European websites that hold
manufacturers’ standard vibra tion emission data along with some values measured in
“real use” for a range of machines are:
http://vibration.arbetslivsins titutet.se/eng/havhome.lasso
http://www.las-bb.de/karla/index_.htm

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 17 06/12/2005 Ideally you should use vibration informati on for the equipment (make and model) you
plan to use. However, if this is not ava ilable you may need to use information relating
to similar equipment as a starting point, replacing the data with more accurate values when this becomes available.
When choosing published vibration informati on the factors you need to take account
of in making your choice include:
• the type of equipment (e.g. road breaker),
• the class of equipment (e.g. power or size),
• the power source (e.g. pneumatic, hydrau lic, electric or combustion engine)
• any anti-vibration features (e.g. suspended handles),
• the task the equipment was used for when producing the vibration information,
• the speed at which it was operated,
• the type of material on which it was used.
When using published vibration data it is good practice to try to compare data from
two or more sources.
2.3.3 Measurement of vibration magnitude [H4]
In many situations it will not be necessary
to measure vibration magnitudes. However,
it is important to know when to conduct
measurements.
In this chapter we look what how and where
vibration is measured and how
measurements are reported.
Sometimes it may not be possible to obtain
adequate information (from equipment suppliers or
other sources) on the vibration produced by a tool or work process. It may then be necessary to make measurements of vibration in the workplace.
Vibration measurement is a difficult and complex
task. You may choose to make the measurements in-house, or to employ a specialist consultant. In either case, it is important that whoever makes the measurements has sufficient competence and experience.
What is measured?
Human exposure to hand-arm vibration shoul d be evaluated using the method defined
in European Standard EN ISO 5349-1:2001 and detailed practical guidance on using

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 18 06/12/2005 the method for measurement of vibra tion at the workplace is given in
EN ISO 5349-2:2001.
The vibration magnitude is expressed in te rms of the frequency-weighted acceleration
of the surface of the tool-handle or workpiece that is in contact with the hand (see Annex C
) it is expressed in units of me tres per second squared (m/s²).
Making vibration measurements
Measurements should be made to produce vibr ation values that are representative of
the average vibration for a tool or process throughout the operator’s working period. It
is therefore important that the operatin g conditions and measurement periods are
selected to achieve this.
Where tools are held in both hands, m easurements must be made at both hand
positions and the highest value used for determining vibration exposure.
Further reading:
EN ISO 5349-1:2001 Mechanical vibrati on — Measurement and evaluation of
human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration — Part 1: General requirements
EN ISO 5349-2:2001 Mechanical vibrati on — Measurement and evaluation of
human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration — Part 2: Practical guidance for
measurement at the workplace

EU Good Practice Guide HAV EVALUATION OF RISK
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 19 06/12/2005 2.4 Calculating daily vibration exposures [H5]
A daily vibration exposure assessment de pends on both the level of vibration and
the duration of exposure.
In this chapter we look at how daily vibr ation exposure is calculated from vibration
magnitude information and exposure times.
Some tools for simplifying the calculation of daily exposures and managing
exposure times are given in Annex D and worked examples of calculating daily
vibration exposures are given in Annex E .
2.4.1 Daily Vibration Exposure
The daily vibration exposure , A(8), is calculated from a magnitude and exposure time.
Like the vibration magnitude, the daily vi bration exposure has un its of metres per
second squared (m/s²). Examples of the cal culation of daily vibration exposures are
given in Annex E
2.4.2 Partial Vibration Exposures
If a person is exposed to more than one s ource of vibration (perhaps because they use
two or more different tools or pr ocesses during the day) then the partial vibration
exposures are calculated from the magnitude a nd duration for each one. The partial
vibration values are combined to gi ve the overall daily exposure value, A(8), for that
person. An example of the calculation of daily vibration exposures is given in
Annex E
Each partial vibration exposure represents the contribution of a particular source of
vibration (tool or process) to the worke r’s total daily exposure. Knowledge of the
partial exposure values will help you decide on your priorities: the tools or processes with the highest partial vibration exposur e values are those that should be given
priority for control measures.
2.4.3 Uncertainty of daily exposure evaluations
Where vibration magnitude and exposure time are measured the uncertainties associated with the evaluation of A(8) can be as much as from +20% to -40%. Where
either the exposure time or the vibration magnitude is estimated — e.g. based on information from the worker (exposure time) or manufacturer (magnitude) — then the uncertainty in the evaluation of daily exposure can be much higher.
Further reading:
EN ISO 5349-2:2001 Mechanical vibrati on — Measurement and evaluation of
human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration — Part 2: Practical guidance for measurement at the workplace

EU Good Practice Guide HAV REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 20 06/12/2005 CHAPTER 3 REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
Your risk assessment will help you plan the measures necessary to prevent or
adequately control the exposure of workers to hand-arm vibration.
In this chapter we show how you can de velop a control strategy, prioritise your
control activities, implement risk controls and monitor the effectiveness of those
controls.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 21 06/12/2005 3.1 Developing a control strategy
To control risk you must have a strategy that can effectively deliver reduced
exposure to hand-arm vibration.
In this chapter we look at the process of developing a control strategy, including
how to prioritise your control activities.
Your risk assessment should enable methods for controlling exposure to be identified.
While you are assessing the vibration expos ures, you should be thinking about the
work processes that cause them. Understandi ng why workers are exposed to vibration
will help identify methods for reducing or eliminating them.
The important stages in this
management process are:
• identifying the chief sources of
vibration,
• ranking them in terms of their
contribution to the risk,
• identifying and evaluating
potential solutions in terms of practicability and cost,
• establishing targets which can be
realistically achieved.
• allocating priorities and
establishing an 'action
programme';
• defining management
responsibilities and allocating
adequate resources;
• implementing the programme;
• monitoring progress;
• evaluating the programme.
The approach you take to reduce risks
from hand-arm vibration will depend on the practical aspects of your particular processes and on the current levels of exposure.
It is useful to involve employees and their representatives in the planning of controls.
An effective partnership with employees will help to ensure that your action plan is workable and that they will c ooperate with actions taken to control the risks to their
health. Example: use of partial vibration exposure to
rank risks
A steel worker uses two tools, a grinder with
an in-use vibration emission of 7m/s² and a
chipping hammer with an in-use emission of 16m/s². The grinder is used for a total of 2½ hours per day, the chipping hammer for 15 minutes:
• Grinder ( 7 m/s² for 2½ hours ):
A
1(8) = 3,9 m/s²
• Chipping hammer ( 16 m/s² for 15
minutes ): A2(8) = 2,8 m/s²
Total exposure: A(8) = 4,8 m/s
Although the chipping hammer has a greater
vibration magnitude than the grinder, the partial exposure values show that the use of the grinder accounts for the greater proportion of the worker ’s overall vibration
exposure. Therefore, initially, the grinder should be the main focus for risk reduction.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 22 06/12/2005 3.2 Risk controls
To control risk you must remove or re duce exposure to hand-arm vibration. It may
also be possible to take actions that redu ce the likelihood of developing injury. It is
likely that effecti ve control will be based on a co mbination of several methods.
In this chapter we look at the engi neering, management and other methods that
should be considered when looking for control solutions.
3.2.1 Substitution of other working methods
It may be possible to find alternative work methods that eliminate or
reduce exposure to vibration. This may involve mechanisation or
automation of tasks, or substitution of alternative work processes. To keep up-to-date on the met hods available you should check
regularly with:
ƒ your trade association;
ƒ other industry contacts;
ƒ equipment suppliers;
ƒ trade journals.
3.2.2 Equipment selection
You should make sure that equipment selected or
allocated for tasks is suitable and can do the work efficiently. Equipment which is unsuitable or of insufficient capacity is likely to take much longer to complete the task and expose employees to vibration for longer than is necessary.
Careful selection of consumab les (e.g. abrasives for gri nders and sanders) or tool
accessories (such as drill bits, chisels and saw blades) can affect vibration exposure. Some manufacturers supply accessories de signed to reduce vibration exposure.
To keep up-to-date on the tools, consumab les and accessories available you should
check regularly with:
ƒ equipment suppliers;
ƒ your trade association;
ƒ other industry contacts;
ƒ trade journals.
3.2.3 Purchasing policy
Make sure your purchasing department has a policy on purchasing suitable
equipment, that takes into account both vibration emission, and your operating
requirements.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 23 06/12/2005 Power tool manufacturers (and im porters, suppliers and tool hi re firms) should be able
to help you select the most suitable and safe st tools for your particular needs. They
should provide useful information and a dvice about tool vibration, selection and
management. They have duties to reduce ri sks from vibration to a minimum and to
help you with information on managing vibra tion risks that they have been unable to
eliminate by design.
Anyone supplying power tools for use in Europe must comply with the Machinery
Directive (Directive 98/37/EC). The supp lier should also offer technical support
where required, including advice on:
• the vibration emission (as repor ted in the instruction handbook);
• how the emission value has been obtained;
• any applications of the equipment that are believed to increase the risk of hand-
arm vibration injury;
• how to use the equipment safely and any training requirements for this;
• any training (to operators, maintenance staff etc.) recommended to control hand-
arm vibration exposures;
• how to use the equipmen t for specific tasks;
• the need for any personal protective e quipment when operating the machinery.
• how to maintain the tool in good condition.
Suppliers may also be able to provide information on:

• any vibration reduction features;
• any circumstances under which the equipm ent can generate hand-arm vibration
exposures above the exposure action value;
• any circumstances under which the equipm ent can generate hand-arm vibration
exposures above the exposure limit value.
When selecting tools, you should also cons ider ergonomic factors and other hazards
such as:
• tool weight,
• handle design and comfort,
• grip forces,
• ease of use and handling
• cold from grip surfaces or from exhaust air on pneumatic tools
• noise and
• dust.
Manufacturers or suppliers may be willing to loan sample tools on trial. Make use of
this opportunity and take account of employ ees’ opinions based on practical trials.
The efficiency of the tool is important: a tool that takes a long time to do the job will not be popular, and could result in a higher vibration exposure than an efficient tool
with a greater vibration magnitude. However, tools that are too powerful for the job
could result in exposure to unnecessari ly high vibration magnitudes.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 24 06/12/2005 3.2.4 Workstation design
Jigs and anti-vibration handles
Jigs and similar aids incorporating anti-vibr ation mounts can help avoid the need to
hold vibrating surfaces.
'Anti-vibration' handles may reduce the vibra tion, but incorrect selection of this type
of handle may actually increase the vibrati on at the hand, so only use handles that are
endorsed by the tool manufacturer.
Resilient materials
Wrapping rubber or other resilient materials around vibrating handles may improve
comfort but it is unlikely to reduce significantly the vibration frequencies that contribute most when the exposure is calculated. Unless carefully selected, resilient materials may amplify vibration at some frequencies and actually increase vibration
exposure.
Grip and push forces
Reducing the gripping or pushing forces exerted through the hand reduces the
vibration passing into the user's hand a nd arm. These forces may be required to
support the tool or workpiece, to control or guide the machine, or to achieve high work-rates. However, the actual forces app lied can be greater than is necessary for
efficient work because of incorrect equi pment selection, inade quate maintenance,
insufficient training or poor workstation design.
Some methods of reducing grip and push forces are:
• where heavy workpieces are ground by hand at pedestal grinders, support for the
whole piece will mean that the worker needs only to guide it onto the wheel,
rather than support all the weight;
• tension chains (sometimes called balancers) and manipulators can be used to
support vibrating tools such as heavy drills, grinders, nut runners, nailing guns
(in some cases) and pneumatic chisels, thus relieving the operator from
supporting the tool's weight;
• changes in the texture and material of a grip surface may allow the operator to
use a smaller grip force to hold and control the tool;
• use of techniques such as bench felling in forestry, where the chainsaw slides
along the log during de-branching, rather than holding the full weight of the saw at all times.
3.2.5 Maintenance
Regular servicing of power tools and other work equipment will often help keep vibration magnitudes down to the minimum necessary, so:
• keep cutting tools sharp;

EU Good Practice Guide HAV REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 25 06/12/2005 • dress grinding wheels correctly by following the manufacturer’s
recommendations;
• lubricate any moving parts in accordance with manufacturer’s
recommendations
• replace worn parts;
• carry out necessary balance checks and corrections;
• replace anti-vibration mounts a nd suspended handles before
they deteriorate. (look for de terioration or the cracking,
swelling and softening, or hardening, of rubber mounts);
• check and replace defective vibration dampers, bearings and
gears;
• sharpen chainsaw teeth and keeping the correct chain tension;
• tune engines.
3.2.6 Training and information to workers
It is important that you provide operato rs and supervisors with information on:
• the potential injury arising from the work equipment in use;
• the exposure limit values and the exposure action values;
• the results of the vibration risk asse ssment and any vibration measurements;
• the control measures being used to eliminate or reduce risks from hand-arm
vibration;
• safe working practices to minimise exposure to mechanical vibration;
• why and how to detect and report signs of injury
• why and how to report machines in need of maintenance;
• how and when to scrap inserted tools or consumables that contribute to excessive
vibration exposures;
• the circumstances in which workers are entitled to health surveillance.
You will be relying on the operators of vibrating tools and processes to make your
control measures effective. You shoul d consult with the workers and their
representatives when implementing control measures. Workers have a duty to cooperate when you take action to comply w ith European health and safety directives.
Workers should be trained in working techni ques, for example to help avoid excessive
gripping, pushing and guiding forces and to ensure the tools are operated safely and
with optimum efficiency. They will also need to be trained to recognise when a machine is in need of maintenance.
With some tools, the operator’s hands mu st be in the correct position to avoid
increased vibration exposure. Many vibrati on-reduced tools, such as breakers with
suspended handles, produce high vibration emissions if the operator pushes down too
hard while operating the tool (road breakers can also produce high vibration emission
if the tool is pulled up whilst operating, e.g. to remove the pick from a hole)
The manufacturer should advise you of an y training requirements, and may offer
training for operators. Workers can also be encouraged to rest the tool as much as

EU Good Practice Guide HAV REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 26 06/12/2005 possible on the material being worked (or in the case of hand-held workpieces, on any
support provided) and to hold it with a light but safe grip.
Training and supervision will be required to ensure that workers are protecting
themselves against the development of vibr ation-related disease. They should be
encouraged to report any symptoms that ma y be associated with vibration or the use
of power tools, etc. If they are taking part in a health surveillance scheme then this may provide a regular opportunity for one-to -one discussion of th e vibration hazard
and how to reduce the risk of injury.
Workers should also be advised on the impact of non-work activities on the risks to
their health. They should be encouraged to stop or cut-down and smoking, which can
impair blood circulation. Workers should also be aware that the use of power tools for
do-it-yourself work in the home or activities such as motorbike riding will add to daily vibration exposures and so increase the risk of developi ng hand-arm vibration
injury.
3.2.7 Work schedules
To control the risks from hand-arm vibration you may need to limit the time workers are exposed to vibration from some tools or processes. It is recommended that you
plan work to avoid workers being exposed to vibration for long, continuous periods.
Make sure that new work patterns are adequa tely supervised, to ensure that workers
do not drift back to the older work patterns. If employees are paid by results, the systems should be designed to avoid inte nsive working by individual workers with
few breaks in exposure.
3.2.8 Clothing and personal protection [H7]
Personal protective equipment is a last resort for protecti on against hazards at work,
and should only be considered as a long-ter m means of control after all other options
have been explored.
Protection from vibration
Gloves marketed as ‘anti-vibration’ should carry the CE mark, indicating they have
been tested and found to meet the requi rements of EN ISO 10819:1997. However, this
standard does not provide de tailed performance data for gloves, therefore you must
separately assess the protection offered by anti-vibration gloves, as required by the
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Directive 1992.
Anti-vibration gloves do not pr ovide significant risk reduc tion at frequencies below
150Hz (9000 revs per minute). This means th at, for most powered hand tools, the
reduction in frequency-weighted vibrati on magnitude provided by anti-vibration
gloves is negligible. Anti-vibration gloves may provide some vibr ation risk reduction
for tools that operate at high rotationa l speeds (or produce vibrations at high
frequencies) and are held with a light gri p. However this risk reduction cannot easily
be quantified and so gloves should not nor mally be relied upon to provide protection
from hand-arm vibration.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 27 06/12/2005 Protection from cold
Low body temperature increases the risk of finger blanching because of the reduced
blood circulation. You should therefore avoid outdoor working in cold weather if you
can. If you have to work outside, then some machines, such as chainsaws, are
available with heated handles to help keep the hands warm.
The temperature in an indoor workplace should provide reasonable comfort without
the need for special clothing and should normally be at least 16șC. You should avoid
machines that might make the hands cold, e.g. steel-bodied machines or pneumatic
tools that blow exhaust air over the operator’s hands.
You should provide warm clothing and glove s if there is an increased hand-arm
vibration risk due to the cold. Gloves and other clothing should be assessed for good
fit and for effectiveness in keeping the ha nds and body warm and dry in the working
environment.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV REMOVING OR REDUCING EXPOSURE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 28 06/12/2005 3.3 Monitoring and reassessment
Management of vibration exposure is an ongoi ng process. You need to ensure that
the control systems are being used and t hat they are giving the expected results
In this chapter we look at how to monito r the vibration controls and when to repeat
the risk assessment.
3.3.1 How do I know if my hand-arm vibration controls are working?
You will need to review your hand-arm vibration controls periodically to ensure they
are still relevant and effective. You should:
• Check regularly that managers and employees are still carrying out the
programme of controls you have introduced;
• Talk regularly to managers, supervisor s, employees and safety or employee
representatives about whether there are any vibration problems with the
equipment or the way it is being used;
• Check the results of health surveillance and discuss with the occupational health
provider whether the controls appear to be effective or need to be changed.
3.3.2 When do I need to repeat the risk assessment?
You will need to reassess risks from vibration, and how you control them, whenever
there are changes in the workplace that may affect the level of exposure, such as:
• the introduction of different machinery or processes
• changes in the work pattern or working methods
• changes in the number of hours worked with the vibrating equipment
• the introduction of new vibr ation control measures.
You will also need to reassess the risks if there is evidence (e.g. from health
surveillance) that your existing controls are not effective.
The extent of the reassessment will depend on the nature of the changes and the
number of people affected by them. A change in hours or work patterns may require a
recalculation of the daily exposure for the people affected, but will not necessarily
alter the vibration magnitudes. The introduc tion of new machinery or processes may
require a full reassessment.
It is good practice to review your risk assessment and work practices at regular
intervals, even if nothing obvious has ch anged. There may be new technology, tool
designs or ways of working in your industry that would allow you to reduce risks further.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV HEALTH RISKS SURVEILLANCE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 29 06/12/2005 CHAPTER 4 HEALTH SURVEILLANCE
Health surveillance is about putting in place systematic, regular and appropriate
procedures to detect of work-related ill health, and acting on the results. The aims
are primarily to safeguard the health of workers (including identifying and
protecting individuals at increased risk ), but also to check the long-term
effectiveness of control measures.
It is impossible to provide definitive guidan ce on health surveillance in this guide,
due the to differences in health surve illance practices across the European Union.
In this chapter we re-state the requirements for health surveillance given in the
vibration directive and revi ew some of the assessment techniques available.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV HEALTH RISKS SURVEILLANCE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 30 06/12/2005 4.1 When is health surveillance required?
Member States shall adopt provisions to ensure the appropriate health surveillance of
workers where the hand-arm vibration risk asse ssment indicates a ri sk to their health.
The provision of health surveillance, including the requirements specified for health records and their availability, shall be introduced in accordance with national laws and/or practice.
Employers should provide appr opriate health surveillance where the risk assessment
indicates a risk to worker s’ health. Health surveilla nce should be instituted for
workers who are at risk from vibration injury, where:
• the exposure of workers to vibration is such that a link can be established
between that exposure and an identifiable illness or harmful effects on health,
• it is probable that the illness or the effects occur in a worker’s particular working
conditions, and
• there are tested techniques for the detec tion of the illness or the harmful effects
on health.
In any event, workers whose daily vibration exposure exceeds the daily exposure
action value are entitled to appropriate health surveillance.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV HEALTH RISKS SURVEILLANCE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 31 06/12/2005 4.2 What techniques are available?

Health surveillance should consist of an eval uation of the case history for a worker in
conjunction with a physical examinati on conducted by a qu alified physician.
Additional clinical tests and investigati ons may be appropria te in some cases.
Questionnaires for hand-arm vibration health surveillance are available from various
sources (e.g. the VibGuide section of: http://www.humanvibrati on.com/EU/EU_index.htm
).
The case history
The case history should focus on:
• family history,
• social history, including smoking habit and alcohol consumption.
• work history, including past and curren t occupations with exposure to hand-arm
vibration, previous jobs with exposure to neurotoxic or angiotoxic agents and any
leisure activities involving the use of vibrating tools or machines.
• personal health history.
The physical examination
A physical examination should look in detail at the peripheral vascular, neurological,
and musculoskeletal systems, and should be performed by a qualified physician
Clinical tests
In general, clinical tests do not provide reliable proof of vibration injury, however,
they may be helpful to exclude other causes of symptoms similar to those of hand-arm
vibration syndrome or to monitor progression of injury.
Tests for the peripheral vascular system incl ude the Lewis-Prusik test, the Allen test,
and the Adson test.
Tests for the peripheral nervous system in clude the evaluation of manual dexterity
(e.g. coin recognition and pick up), the Roos test, the Phalen’s test and the Tinel’s
sign (for carpal tunnel compression).

EU Good Practice Guide HAV HEALTH RISKS SURVEILLANCE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 32 06/12/2005 Vascular investigations
The vascular assessment of the hand-arm vibration syndrom e is mainly based on cold
provocation tests: assessing changes in fing er colour, recording recovery times of
finger skin temperature, and measuring finger systolic blood pressure. Other non-
invasive diagnostic tests, such as Doppler recording of arm and finger blood-flow and
pressure, may also be useful.
Neurological investigations
The neurological assessment of the hand-arm vibration syndrome includes several
tests:
• Vibration perception thresholds
• Tactile sensitivity (gap detection, monofilaments)
• Thermal perception thresholds
• Nerve conduction velocities in the upper and lower limbs.
• Electromyography.
• Fingertip dexterity (Purdue pegboard).
Muscle strength investigations
The evaluation of muscle force in the hand can be performed by means of a
dynamometer to measure grip strength and a pinch gauge to measure pinch strengths.
Radiological investigations
X-rays of the shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands for a radiological diagnosis of bone
and joint disorders are usually required in those countries in wh ich vibration-induced
osteoarthropathy in the upper limbs is recognised as an occupational disease.
Laboratory tests
Blood and urine analyses may be necessary in some case to distinguish vibration
injury from other vascular or neurological disorders.
Further reading:
ISO 13091-1:2001 Mechanical vibration — Vibrotactile perception thresholds
for the assessment of nerve dysfunction — Part 1: Methods of measurement at
the fingertips
ISO 14835-1:2005 Mechanical vibration and shock — Cold provocation tests
for the assessment of peripheral vascular function — Part 1: Measurement and
evaluation of finger skin temperature
ISO 14835-2:2005 Mechanical vibration a nd shock — Cold provocation tests
for the assessment of peripheral vascular function — Part 2: Measurement and
evaluation of finger systolic blood pressure

EU Good Practice Guide HAV HEALTH RISKS SURVEILLANCE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 33 06/12/2005

EU Good Practice Guide HAV HEALTH RISKS SURVEILLANCE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 34 06/12/2005 4.3 What recording is required?
Member States shall establish arrangements to ensure that, for each worker who
undergoes health surveillance i ndividual health records are made and kept up-to-date.
Health records shall contain a summary of the results of the health surveillance carried out. They shall be kept in a suitable form so as to permit any consultation at a later date, taking into ac count any confidentiality.
Copies of the appropriate records shall be supplied to the competent authority on
request. The individual worker shall, at thei r request, have access to the health records
relating to them personally.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV HEALTH RISKS SURVEILLANCE
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 35 06/12/2005 4.4 What to do if injury is identified?
The health surveillance, may identify a worker with an identifiable disease or adverse
health effect which is considered by a do ctor or occupational he alth-care professional
to be the result of exposure to hand-arm vi bration at work. Where such a worker is
identified then information must be provided to the worker and the employer; the employer must take action to prevent further injury.
Information for the worker
The worker shall be informed, by the doctor or other suitably qualified person, of the
results of their own personal health surveillance. In particular, workers shall be given information and advice regarding any hea lth surveillance that they should undergo
following the end of exposure.
Information for the employer
The employer shall be informed of any significant findings from the health
surveillance, taking into account any medical confidentiality.
Employer actions
• Review the hand-arm vibr ation risk assessment,
• Review the measures provided to eliminate or reduce risks from hand-arm
vibration exposure,
• Take into account the advice of the occ upational healthcare pr ofessional or other
suitably qualified person or the competent authority in implementing any
measures required to eliminate or reduce risks from hand-arm vibration exposure,
including the possibility of assigning the worker to alternative work where there is no risk of further exposure, and
• Arrange continued health surveillance and provide for a review of the health
status of any other worker who has been similarly exposed. In such cases, the
competent doctor or occupational health care professional or the competent
authority may propose that exposed pe rsons undergo a medical examination.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX A HEALTH RISKS, SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 36 06/12/2005
ANNEX A HEALTH RISKS, SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Workers exposed regularly to excessive hand-arm vibration
may suffer in the long term with disturbances to finger blood flow and to the neurological and locomotor functions of the hand and arm. The term hand-arm vibration syndrome is used
to refer to these complex disorders.
Hand-arm vibration syndrome has an impact on social and family
life. Periodic attacks of impaired blood circulation will take place not
only at work, but also during activities such as car washing or watching outdoor sports. Everyday tasks, for example managing small buttons on clothes may become difficult.
Vascular disorders, neurological disorders and bone and joints
abnormalities caused by ha nd-arm vibration are recognized occupational
diseases in several European countries.
A.1 Vascular disorders
Workers exposed to hand-arm vibration ma y complain of episodes of whitening
(blanching) of the fingers, usually triggered by cold exposure. This symptom is caused by temporary closing down of blood circulation to the fingers.
Various terms have been used to describe vibration-induced vascular disorders:
• dead or white finger,
• Raynaud's phenomenon of occupational origin,
• vibration-induced white finger.
Initially attacks of blanching involve the tips of one or more fingers, but, with
continued exposure to vibration, the blanchin g can extend to the base of the fingers.
As the blood flow returns to the fingers (this is commonly initiated by warmth or local massage) the fingers turn red, and are often painful. The blanching attacks are more
common in winter than in summer. The duration varies with the intensity of the vibration stimuli from a few minutes to more than one hour.
If vibration exposure continues, the blanchin g attacks become more frequent affecting
more of the fingers. The attacks may occu r all year around with quite small reductions
of temperature. During a blanching attack the affected worker can experience a complete loss of touch sensa tion and manipulative dexterity, which can interfere with
work activity increasing the risk for acute injuries due to accidents.
Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that the probability and severity of
blanching is influenced by the characteris tics of vibration expos ure and duration of
exposure, the type of tool and work process, the environmental conditions
(temperature, air flow, humidity, noise), some biodynamic a nd ergonomic factors
(grip force, push force, arm position), and various individual characteristics

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX A HEALTH RISKS, SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 37 06/12/2005 (individual susceptibility, diseases and agents such as smoking and certain medicines
that affect peripheral circulation).
A.2 Neurological disorders
Workers exposed to hand-arm vibration may experience tingling and numbness in
their fingers and hands. If vibration expos ure continues, these symptoms tend to
worsen and can interfere with work capacity and life activities. Vibration-exposed workers may exhibit a reduction in the norma l sense of touch and temperature as well
as an impairment of manual dexterity.
A.3 Carpal-tunnel syndrome
Epidemiological research in workers has al so shown that use of vibrating tools in
combination with repetitive movements, forceful gripping, awkward postures may increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome.
A.4 Musculoskeletal disorders
Workers with prolonged exposure to vibrati on may complain of muscular weakness,
pain in the hands and arms, and diminished muscle strength. These disorders seem to
be related to ergonomic stress factors arising from heavy manual work.
Excess occurrence of wrist and elbow osteoart hritis as well as hardening of soft tissue
(ossification) at the sites of tendon attachment, mostly at the elbow, have been found
in miners, road construction wo rkers and metal-working operato rs of percussive tools.
Other work-related disorders have been repor ted in vibration-exposed workers, such
as inflammation of tendons (tendonitis) a nd their sheaths in the upper limbs, and
Dupuytren's contracture, a disease of the fascial tissues of the palm of the hand.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX B VIBRATION DIRECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 38 06/12/2005 ANNEX B SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES DEFINED BY
DIRECTIVE 2002/44/EEC
Table B.1 Summary of responsibilitie s defined by Directive 2002/44/EEC
Directive
Article Who When Requirement
Article 4 Employer Potential risk
from hand-
arm vibration Determination and assessment of risk:
ƒ Use someone who is competent to assess the
hand-arm vibration risk.
ƒ Be in possession of the risk assessment.
ƒ Identify measures required for control of
exposure and worker information and training.
ƒ Keep the risk assessment up to date.
Risks from
vibration Avoiding or reducing exposure:
ƒ Take general actions to eliminate exposures or
reduce them to a minimum
Exposures
above the
exposure
action value ƒ Establish and implement programme of
measures to eliminate, or reduce to a
minimum, exposures to hand-arm vibration risks
Exposures
above the
exposure
limit value ƒ Take immediate action to prevent exposure
above the limit value
ƒ Identify why exposures limit value has been
exceeded Article 5
Employer
Workers at
particular risk ƒ Adapt to requirements of workers at particular
risk
Article 6
Employer Workers at
risk from
hand-arm
vibration Worker information and training:
ƒ For all workers exposed to hand-arm vibration
risks.
Article 7
Employer Workers at
risk from
hand-arm
vibration Worker consultation and participation:
ƒ To consult, in a balanced way and in good
time, workers and their representatives on risk
assessment, control measures health
surveillance and training.
Doctor or suitably
qualified
person Where ill
health is
identified Health Surveillance:
ƒ Inform worker of results of health surveillance
ƒ Provide information and advice to worker on
health surveillance necessary when exposure to hand-arm vibration has finished.
ƒ Provide significant findings of health
surveillance to employer
Employer Where ill
health is
identified ƒ Review risk assessment
ƒ Further eliminate or reduce risks
ƒ Review the health status of similarly exposed
employees. Article 8

Employer Exposures
above the
exposure
action value ƒ Employees entitled to appropriate health
surveillance

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX C WHAT IS VIBRATION?
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 39 06/12/2005 ANNEX C WHAT IS VIBRATION?
C.1 What is vibration?
Vibrations arise when a body oscillates due to external and internal forces Figure C.1 .
In the case of hand-arm vibration, the handl e of a machine or the surface of a work
piece vibrates rapidly, and this motion is transmitted into the hand and arm.

Figure C.1 Oscillation of the hand while sawing wood
C.2 What is measured?
Vibration is defined by its magnitude and frequency. Th e magnitude of vibration
could be expressed as the vibration displacem ent (in meters), the vibration velocity (in
meters per second) or the vibration acceler ation (in meters per second per second or
m/s²). Most vibration transducers produce an out put that is related to acceleration; so
acceleration has traditionally been used to describe vibration.
To get a complete picture of the vibration on a surface, vibration must be measured in
three axes, as illustrated in Figure C.2 .

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX C WHAT IS VIBRATION?
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 40 06/12/2005

Figure C.2 Axes of hand-arm vibration measurement
C.3 What is frequency and frequency-weighting?
Frequency is the number of times per s econd the vibrating body moves back and
forth. It is expressed as a value in cycles per second, more usually known as Hertz
(abbreviated to Hz). For rotating tools the dominant frequency is usually determined by the speed at which the tool rotates (usu ally expressed as the number of revolutions
per minute or rpm; dividing the rpm by 60 gives the frequency in Hz).
For hand-arm vibration, the frequencies t hought to be important range from about
8 Hz to 1000 Hz. However, because the risk of damage to the hand is not equal at all
frequencies a frequency-weighting is used to represent the likelihood of damage from
the different frequencies. As a result, the weighted acceleration decreases when the frequency increases. For hand-arm vibrati on, only one frequency-weighting curve is
used for all three axes.
C.4 What parameters are used for exposure assessment?
From each vibration axis a frequen cy-weighted root-mean-square average
acceleration is measured. This is referred to as ahw. The value used for assessment of
exposure is the vibration total value , which combines the three ahw values for the axes
x, y and z, using:
2
hwz2
hwy2
hwx hv a a a a + + =

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX C WHAT IS VIBRATION?
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 41 06/12/2005 C.5 What instrumentation should be used?
Hand-arm vibration measuring equipment should comply with the EN ISO 8041:2005
specifications for hand-arm vi bration measuring instrument s. It is important that
accelerometers (vibration transducers) are carefully selected. The vibration on hand-held and hand-guided machines can be very high and can easily overload unsuitable transducers. Fixing transducers to the machine handles requires mounting systems
that are rigid, lightweight and compact. Further information and guidance on transducer selection and mounting methods can be found in EN ISO 5349-2:2001.
Further reading:
EN ISO 5349-2:2001 Mechanical vibrati on — Measurement and evaluation of
human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration — Part 2: Practical guidance for measurement at the workplace

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX D TOOLS FOR CALCULATING DAILY EXPOSURES
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 42 06/12/2005 ANNEX D TOOLS FOR CALCULATING DAILY EXPOSURES
D.1 Web-based tools
Some web-based calculators are available that simplify the process of doing daily
vibration exposure calculations, e.g.:
www.hse.gov.uk/vibration/calculator.htm
http://vibration.arbetslivsinstitu tet.se/eng/havcalculator.lasso .
http://www.hvbg.de/d/bia/pra/softw a/kennwertrechner/index.html
D.2 Daily exposure graph
The graph in Figure D.1 gives a simple alternativ e method for looking up daily
exposures or partial vibration exposures without the need for a calculator.
Simply look on the graph for the A(8) line at or just above where your vibration
magnitude value and exposure time lines meet.
The green area in Figure D1 indicates exposures likely to below the exposure action
value. These exposures must not be assume d to be “safe”. There may be a risk of
hand-arm vibration injury for exposures belo w the exposure action value, and so some
exposures within the green area may cause vibration injury in some workers, especially after many years of exposure.
D.3 Daily exposure nomogram
The nomogram in Figure D.2 provides a simple alternativ e method of obtaining daily
vibration exposures, without using the e quations. For each tool or process:
1. Draw a line from a point on the left hand scale (representing the vibration
magnitude) to a point on the right hand scale (representing the exposure
time);
2. Read off the partial exposures where the lines cross the central scale; 3. Square each partial vibration exposure value; 4. Add the squared values together; 5. Take the square root of the result to give the overall A(8) daily vibration
exposure value.
D.4 Exposure points system
Hand-arm vibration exposure management can be simplified by using an exposure
“points” system. For any tool or process, the number of exposure points accumulated
in an hour ( PE,1h in points per hour) can be obtained from the vibration magnitude ahv
in m/s² using:

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX D TOOLS FOR CALCULATING DAILY EXPOSURES
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 43 06/12/2005 2
hv E,1h 2a P =
Exposure points are simply added together , so you can set a maximum number of
exposure points for any person in one day.
The exposure scores corresponding to th e exposure action and limit values are:
• exposure action value (2 ,5 m/s²) = 100 points;
• exposure limit value (5 m/s²) = 400 points.

D.5 Traffic light system
Some employers, working with machine ma nufacturers and supplie rs, have developed
a green / amber/ red “traffic light” system, where each tool is clearly marked with a
hand-arm vibration colour coding, dependent on the expected in-use vibration
magnitude of each machine, one example of this coding scheme is illustrated in Table D.1
.
Table D.1 Example of “Traffi c-light” colour-coding scheme
In use
vibration
magnitude Colour code
0 to 5 m/s² Green
5 to 10 m/s² Amber
>10 m/s² Red
Workers are given training in the colour-coding scheme, based on Table D.2 , so that
they can select vibration tools at a glan ce and know how long they can use the tool. In general the number of exposure
points, PE, is defined by:
100hours82
m/s²5,2T hva
EP 

=
Where ahv is the vibration magnitude in
m/s² and T is the exposure time in
hours.
Alternatively Figure D.3 gives a simple
method for looking up the exposure points. The daily exposure A(8),
can be calculated from the exposure point using:
()100m/s²5,28EPA =

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX D TOOLS FOR CALCULATING DAILY EXPOSURES
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 44 06/12/2005
Table D.2 Example of colour coding scheme for traffic-light system
Colour
code Time to reach
EAV (2,5m/s²) Time to reach
ELV (5m/s²)
Green More than 2 hours More than 8 hours
Amber 30 minutes to 2 hours 2 to 8 hours
Red Less than 30 mins Less than 2 hours
The success of the traffic light system is dependent on the quality of data used to
determine the colour rating of each machine. The traffic light scheme may be based
on measurements or manufacturer’s declarati on of vibration emission. If the vibration
emission value is used, it should be multiplied by a factor of between 1 and 2, to account for uncertainty in the results fro m the standardised emission tests (see
Chapter 2.3.1
).
The green area in Table D.2 indicates exposures likely to below the exposure action
or limit value. These exposures must not be assumed to be “safe”. There may be a risk of hand-arm vibration injury for exposures below the exposure action value and other
management controls must be used to ensu re that workers are trained to understand
and operate the system correctly, that the systems are actually correctly used and that workers at risk do not develop sympto ms of hand-arm vibration syndrome.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX D TOOLS FOR CALCULATING DAILY EXPOSURES
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 45 06/12/2005 A(8)=10m/s²
A(8)=9m/s²
A(8)=8m/s²
A(8)=7m/s² A(8)=6m/s²
A(8)=5m/s² A(8)=4m/s²
A(8)=3m/s²
A(8)=2.5m/s²
A(8)=2m/s²
A(8)=1m/s²
Example:
4m/s² for 4 hours 30mins
gives A(8)=3m/s²0246810121416
0:00
0:301:00
1:30
2:00
2:30
3:003:30
4:00
4:305:00
5:30
6:00
6:30
7:007:30
8:00
8:30
9:00
9:30
10:00 Exposure time (hh:mm)Vibration magnitude (m/s²)

Figure D.1 Daily exposure graph

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX D TOOLS FOR CALCULATING DAILY EXPOSURES
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 46 06/12/2005 Exposure 1 Exposure 1
Exposure 2 Exposure 2Exposure 3 Exposure 3
Exposure 4 Exposure 4
Exposure 5 Exposure 5Ai(8)
A i(8) =2n = n i =Ai(8)2niInstructions:
For each exposure, draw a line between the weighted acceleration and the
exposure time. Read off either the partial vibration exposure (8) , or the
exposure points , from the point where the line crosses the centre scale. Enter the values in the appropriate table below.A
ni
i
For (8) valuesAi :
Square and add the A(8) values
Square-root the result to give the
daily vibration exposure (8).i
AFor valuesni :
Add the score values to give a total
daily points,
Use the centre scale to convert
value to (8)n
the
n AWeighted
acceleration

(m/s²)ahvVibration
Exposure
Points
niDaily
Exposure
Time
TPartial
Vibration
Exposure
(8)
(m/s²)Ai
EL V 5 m/s²
EAV 2.5 m/s²Minutes4060100
80
30
20
15
8
6
5
4
3
2
110Hours4
3
210
1.08
0.86
0.65
0.51.51600
800
400200
100
50
25
16
8
4
2
140
430
320
210
1.08
0.86
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.115
1.540
430
320
210
1.08
0.86
0.65
0.515
1.5

Figure D.2 hand-arm vibration exposure nomogram

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX D TOOLS FOR CALCULATING DAILY EXPOSURES
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 47 06/12/2005 20 67 200 400 800 1600 2400 3200 4000 4000 6400 8000
19.5 63 190 380 760 1500 2300 3050 3800 3800 6100 7600
19 60 180 360 720 1450 2150 2900 3600 3600 5800 7200
18.5 57 170 340 685 1350 2050 2750 3400 3400 5500 6850
18 54 160 325 650 1300 1950 2600 3250 3250 5200 6500
17.5 51 155 305 615 1250 1850 2450 3050 3050 4900 6150
17 48 145 290 580 1150 1750 2300 2900 2900 4600 5800
16.5 45 135 270 545 1100 1650 2200 2700 2700 4350 5450
16 43 130 255 510 1000 1550 2050 2550 2550 4100 5100
15.5 40 120 240 480 960 1450 1900 2400 2400 3850 4800
15 38 115 225 450 900 1350 1800 2250 2250 3600 4500
14.5 35 105 210 420 840 1250 1700 2100 2100 3350 4200
14 33 98 195 390 785 1200 1550 1950 1950 3150 3900
13.5 30 91 180 365 730 1100 1450 1800 1800 2900 3650
13 28 85 170 340 675 1000 1350 1700 1700 2700 3400
12.5 26 78 155 315 625 940 1250 1550 1550 2500 3150
12 24 72 145 290 575 865 1150 1450 1450 2300 2900
11.5 22 66 130 265 530 795 1050 1300 1300 2100 2650
11 20 61 120 240 485 725 970 1200 1200 1950 2400
10.5 18 55 110 220 440 660 880 1100 1100 1750 2200
10 17 50 100 200 400 600 800 1000 1000 1600 2000
9.5 15 45 90 180 360 540 720 905 905 1450 1800
9 14 41 81 160 325 485 650 810 810 1300 1600
8.5 12 36 72 145 290 435 580 725 725 1150 1450
8 11 32 64 130 255 385 510 640 640 1000 1300
7.5 9 28 56 115 225 340 450 565 565 900 1150
7 8 25 49 98 195 295 390 490 490 785 980
6.5 7 21 42 85 170 255 340 425 425 675 845
6 6 18 36 72 145 215 290 360 360 575 720
5.5 5 15 30 61 120 180 240 305 305 485 605
5 4 13 25 50 100 150 200 250 250 400 500
4.5 3 10 20 41 81 120 160 205 205 325 405
4 3 8 16 32 64 96 130 160 160 255 320
3.5 2 6 12 25 49 74 98 125 125 195 245
3 2 5 9 1 83 65 47 29 09 0 1 4 5 1 8 0
2.5 1 3 6 1 32 53 85 06 36 3 1 0 0 1 2 5
5m 15m 30m 1h 2h 3h 4h 5h 6h 8h 10hAcceleration (m/s²)
Daily Exposure time
Figure D.3 Exposure points calculator

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX E WORKED EXAMPLES
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 48 06/12/2005 ANNEX E WORKED EXAMPLES
E.1 Where just one machine is used
The daily vibration exposure , A(8), for a worker carrying out one process or operating
one tool can be calculated from a magnitude and exposure time, using the equation:
()
0hv 8TTa A=
where ahv is the vibration magnitude (in m/s²), T is the daily duration of exposure to
the vibration magnitude ahv and T0 is the reference duration of eight hours. Like
vibration magnitude, the dail y vibration exposure has un its of metres per second
squared (m/s²).

E.2 Where more than one machine is used
If a person is exposed to more than one source of vibration then partial vibration
exposures are calculated from the magnitude and duration for each source.
The overall daily vibration exposure can be calculated from the partial vibration
exposure values, using:
() () () () K+ + + =2
32
22
1 8 8 8 8 A A A A
where A1(8), A2(8), A3(8), etc. are the partial vibration exposure values for the
different vibration sources. Exampl e
A forest worker uses a brush cutter for a total of 4½ hours a day. The vibration on the brush cutter when in use is 4m/s². The daily exposure A(8) is:
() 385.448 = = A m/s²

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX E WORKED EXAMPLES
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 49 06/12/2005
Exampl e
A fettler uses three tools during a working day:
1. An angle grinder: 4m/s² for 2½ hours
2. An angle cutter for 3 m/s² for 1 hour 3. A chipping hammer 20 m/s² for 15 minutes
The partial vibration exposures for the three tasks are:
1. Grinder:
() 2,285,248 = =GrindA m/s²
2. Cutter: () 1,18138 = =CutA m/s²
3. Chipper: () 5,360815208 =×=ChipA m/s²
The daily vibration exposure is then:
() () () ()
22 2 22 2 2
m/s3,43,18 3,122,18,45,31,12,28 8 8 8
= = + + =+ + =+ + =Chip Cut Grind A A A A

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX F GLOSSARY
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 50 06/12/2005 ANNEX F GLOSSARY
Hand-arm vibration……. The mechanical vibration that, when transmitted to the
human hand-arm system, entails risks to the health and safety of workers, in particular vascul ar, bone or joint, neurological
or muscular disorders [H10]
Declared vibration emission
The vibration value provided by machine manufacturers to
indicate the vibration likely to occur on their machines. The declared vibration emission va lue should be obtained using a
standardised test code, and has to be included in the machine’s instructions.
Frequency-weighting …. A correction applied to vibration measurements (often using
a filter) to allow for the assumed frequency dependence of the risk of damage to the body. The W
h weighting (defined in
EN ISO 5349-1:2001) is used for hand-arm vibration.
Daily vibration exposure, A(8)
The 8-hour energy equivalent vibration total value for a
worker in meters per second squared (m/s²), including all
hand-arm vibration exposures during the day.
Partial vibration exposure, Ai(8)
The contribution of operation i to the daily vibration
exposure in m/s². The partial vibration exposure relates to
the daily exposure from an individual tool or process, i
(where a worker is only exposed to vibration form one tool or process then the daily vibration exposure is equal to the
partial vibration exposure ).
Health surveillance…….. A programme of health checks on workers to identify early
effects of injury resulting from work activities.
Exposure action value… A value for a worker s daily vibration exposure of 2,5m/s²,
above which the risks from vi bration exposure must be
controlled.
Exposure limit value ….. A value for a worker s daily vibration exposure of 5m/s²,
above which employees should not be exposed.
Exposure time …………… The duration per day that a worker is exposure to a vibration
source.

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX G BIBLIOGRAPHY
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 51 06/12/2005 ANNEX G BIBLIOGRAPHY
G.1 EU Directives
Directive 98/37/EC of the European parlia ment and of the Council of 22 June 1998 on
the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to machinery
Directive 2002/44/EC of the European par liament and of the Council of 25 June 2002
on the minimum health and sa fety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to
the risks arising from physical agents (vibration) (sixteenth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC)
Directive of 89/391/EEC of the European pa rliament and of th e Council of 12 June
1989 on the introduction of measures to enc ourage improvements in the safety and
health of workers at work
Directive 89/686/EEC: Council Directive of 21 December 1989 on the approximation
of the laws of the Member States relating to personal protective equipment as amended by Directives 93/ 68/EEC, 93/95/EEC and 96/58/EC
Council Directive 89/656/EEC of 30 Nove mber 1989 on the minimum health and
safety requirements for the use by worker s of personal protective equipment at the
workplace (third individual directive within the meaning of Article 16 (1) of Directive
89/391/EEC)
G.2 Standards
European
European Committee for Standardiza tion (2001) Mechanical vibration —
Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration — Part 1: General requirements EN ISO 5349-1:2001.
European Committee for Standardiza tion (2001) Mechanical vibration —
Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration — Part 2: Practical guidance for measurement at the workplace EN ISO 5349-2:2001.
European Committee for Standardization ( 1996) Mechanical vibration and shock —
Hand-arm vibration — Method for the measur ement and evaluation of the vibration
transmissibility of gloves at the palm of the hand EN ISO 10819:1996
European Committee for Standardization ( 1997) Mechanical vibration — Declaration
and verification of vibr ation emission values
EN 12096:1997

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX G BIBLIOGRAPHY
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 52 06/12/2005 European Committee for Standardization ( 2005) Mechanical vibration — Hand-held
and hand-guided machinery — Principles for evaluation of vibration emission
EN ISO 20643:2005
European Committee for Standardisation (1995) Hand-arm vibration — Guidelines
for vibration hazards reduction — Part 1: Engineering methods by design of
machinery CEN/CR 1030-1:1995
European Committee for Standardisation (1995) Hand-arm vibration — Guidelines
for vibration hazards reduction — Part 2: Management measures at the workplace CEN/CR 1030-2:1995
European Committee for Standardisation ( 2005) Mechanical vibration — Guideline
for the assessment of exposure to hand-transmitted vibration using available information including that provide d by manufacturers of machinery
CEN/TR 15350: 2005
International
International Organization for Standardiza tion (2005) Human response to vibration —
measuring instrumentation ISO 8041:2005
ISO 13091-1:2001 Mechanical vibration — Vibr otactile perception thresholds for the
assessment of nerve dysfunction —Part 1: Me thods of measurement at the fingertips
ISO 13091-2:2003 Mechanical vibration — Vibr otactile perception thresholds for the
assessment of nerve dysfunction — Part 2: Analysis and interpretation of
measurements at the fingertips
ISO 14835-1:2005 Mechanical vibration and sh ock — Cold provocation tests for the
assessment of peripheral vasc ular function — Part 1: Measurement and evaluation of
finger skin temperature
ISO 14835-2:2005 Mechanical vibration and sh ock — Cold provocation tests for the
assessment of peripheral vasc ular function — Part 2: Measurement and evaluation of
finger systolic blood pressure
ISO/TS 15694:2004 Mechanical vibration a nd shock — Measurement and evaluation
of single shocks transmitted from hand-held and hand-guided machines to the hand-arm system
ISO/TR 22521:2005 Portable hand-held fore stry machines — Vibration emission
values at the handles — Comparative data in 2002
G.3 Scientific publications

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HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 53 06/12/2005 Bovenzi M. Exposure-response relationship in the hand-arm vibration syndrome: an
overview of current epidemiology research. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 1998; 71:509-519.
Bovenzi M. Vibration-induced white finger and cold response of digital arterial
vessels in occupational gr oups with various patterns of exposure to hand-transmitted
vibration. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health 1998; 24:138-144.
Bovenzi M. Finger systolic blood pressure indices for the diagnosis of vibration-
induced white finger. International Arch ives of Occupational and Environmental
Health 2002; 75:20-28.
Brammer,A.J., Taylor,W., Lundborg,G. (1987) Sensorineural stages of the hand-arm
vibration syndrome. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 13, (4),
279-283.
Gemne,G., Pyykko,I., Taylor,W., Pelmear,P . (1987) The Stockholm Workshop scale
for the classification of cold-induced Raynaud's phenomenon in the hand-arm vibration syndrome (revision of the Taylor-P elmear scale). Scandinavian Journal of
Work, Environment and Health, 13, (4), 275-278.
Griffin, M.J. (2004) Minimum health and sa fety requirements for workers exposed to
hand-transmitted vibration and whole-body vibration in the European Union; a review. Occupational and Envir onmental Medicine; 61, 387-397.
Griffin,M.J. (1990, 1996) Handbook of human vi bration. Published: Academic Press,
London, ISBN: 0-12-303040-4.
Griffin,M.J. (1997) Measurement, eval uation, and assessmen t of occupational
exposures to hand-transmitted vibration. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 54, (2), 73-89.
Griffin,M.J. (1998) Evaluating the effectiven ess of gloves in reducing the hazards of
hand-transmitted vibration. Occupational and Environmen tal Medicine, 55, (5), 340-
348.
Griffin,M.J., Bovenzi,M. (2002) The diagnosis of disorders caused by hand-
transmitted vibration: Sout hampton Workshop 2000. International Archives of
Occupational and Environmenta l Health, 75, (1-2), 1-5.
Griffin,M.J., Bovenzi,M., Nelson,C.M. ( 2003) Dose response patterns for vibration-
induced white finger. Journal of Occupa tional and Environmen tal Medicine, 60, 16-
26.
Griffin, M.J. & and Lindsell C.J. (1998) Co ld provocation tests for the diagnosis of
vibration-induced white finger: Standardisation and repeatability. HSE research report CRR 173/1998.

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HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 54 06/12/2005 Kaulbars,U. Hand-arm vibration parameters: from manufacturers and workplace
measurements – deviations and causes. VDI-Report No. 1821 (2004), p. 115-124).
www.hvbg.de/d/bia/vera/vera2a/human/kaulbars2.pdf. (In German)
LEY F. X. Hand arm vibration bone and jo int disorders. INRS, Document pour le
médecin du Travail, n°40, 4 term 1989. (In French)
Lindsell, C.J. & and Griffin. M.J. ( 1998) Standardised diagnostic methods for
assessing components of the hand-arm vibration syndrome. HSE research report CRR 197/1998.
Mason H., Poole K. Clinical testing and ma nagement of individuals exposed to hand-
transmitted vibration. An evidence review. Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians 2004 ISBN 1 86016 203 7.
Mansfield, N.J. (2004) Human Res ponse to Vibration ISBN 0-4152-8239-X
Paddan, G.S. & and Griffin, M.J. ( 1999) Standard tests for the vibration
transmissibility of gloves. HSE research report CRR 249/1999.
Paddan,G.S., Haward,B.M., Griffin,M.J., Pa lmer,K.T.Paddan, G.S. et al. (1999)
Hand-transmitted vibration: Evaluation of some common sources of exposure in Great Britain. HSE research report CRR 234/1999.
Palmer,K.T., Coggon,D.N., Bednall,H.E., Kellingray,S.D., Pannett,B., Griffin,M.J.,
Haward,B. (1999)Palmer, K.T. et al. (1999) Hand-transmitted vi bration Occupational
exposures and their health effects in Great Britain. HSE research report CRR 232/1999.
Palmer,K.T., Griffin,M.J., Bednall,H., Pannett,B., Coggon,D. (2000) Prevalence and
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Palmer,K.T., Griffin,M.J., Bendall,H., Pannett,B., Cooper,C., Coggon,D. (2000) The
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Palmer,K.T., Griffin,M.J., Syddall,H., Pannett,B., Cooper,C., Coggon,D. (2000)
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HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 55 06/12/2005 Palmer,K.T., Griffin,M.J., Syddall,H.E., Pannett,B., Cooper,C., Coggon,D. (2001)
Exposure to hand-transmitted vibration and pain in the neck and upper limbs. Occupational Medicine, 51, (7), 464-467.
Palmer,K.T., Haward,B., Griffin,M.J., Bedna ll,H., Coggon,D. (2000) Validity of self
reported occupational exposure to hand transmitted and whole body vibration. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 57, (4), 237-241.
Rocher O., Lex F. X., Mereau P., Donati P. Bone and joint disorders of elbow when
exposed to hand held tool vibration. IN RS, Document pour le médecin du Travail,
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Stayner, R.M. (1996) Grinder characteristic s and their effects on hand-arm vibration.
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Stayner, R.M. (2003) Isolation and auto-b alancing techniques for portable machines.
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Taylor,W. (Editor) (1974) The vibration syndrome. Proceedings of a Conference on
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G.4 Guidance publications
Bulletin for employees of the instituti on for statutory accident insurance and
prevention in the mining industry (Bergbau -Berufsgenossenschaft) „Human diseases
caused by vibrations”. (In German)
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (FIOSH) Protection against
vibration: a problem or not? (Bundesa nstalt für Arbeitsschut z und Arbeitsmedizin
(BAuA)). www.baua.de/info/bestell.htm#schrift. (In German)
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (FIOSH). Protection against
vibration at the workplace (technics 12). (Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und
Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA)). www.baua.de/info/bestell.htm#schrift. (In German)
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety a nd Health (FIOSH). Vibration loads in the
building industry (technics 23). (Bundesans talt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin
– BAuA). www.baua.de/info/bestell.htm#schrift. (In German)

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(In German)
HSE (2005) Hand-arm Vibration – The Contro l of Vibration at Work Regulations
2005. Guidance on Regulations L140 HSE Books 2005 ISBN 0 7176 6125 3
HSE (2005) Control the risks from hand-arm vibration: Advice for employers on the
Control of Vibration at Wo rk Regulations 2005 Leaflet
INDG175 (rev2)
HSE Books 2005 ISBN 0 7176 6117 2
HSE (2005) Hand-arm vibration: Advi ce for employees Pocket card
INDG296 (rev1) HSE Books 2005 ISBN 0 7176 6118 0
HSE (1998) Hard to handle: Hand-arm vi bration – managing the risk Video
HSE Books 1998 ISBN 0 7176 1881 1
HSE (2002) Use of contractors: A joint responsibility Leaflet INDG368
HSE Books 2002 10 ISBN 0 7176 2566 4
HSE (1996) Hazards associated with foundr y processes: Hand-arm vibration – the
current picture Foundries Information Sheet FNIS8 Web only version available at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/founindx.htm

HSE (1999) Hazards associated with f oundry processes: Hand-arm vibration –
assessing the need for action Foundries Information Sheet FNIS10 Web only version available at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/founindx.htm

HSE (2002) Hand-arm vibrati on in foundries: Furnace and ladle relining operations
Foundries Information Sheet FNIS11 Web only version available at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/founindx.htm

HSE (2002) A purchasing policy for vibr ation-reduced tools in foundries
Foundries Information Sheet FNIS12 Web only version available at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/founindx.htm

UK Department of Trade and Industry (1995). Machinery. Guidance notes on UK
Regulations. Guidance on the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992 as amended by the Supply of Machinery (S afety) (Amendment) Regulations 1994 URN
95/650
INRS (1991). Smooth impact. Use an anti-vi bration concrete br eaker. INRS, ED
1346. (In French).
INRS. (2001) The hand in danger. INRS , ED 863. (In French and English)

EU Good Practice Guide HAV ANNEX G BIBLIOGRAPHY
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 57 06/12/2005 Centres de Mesure Physique (CMP) and Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité
(INRS). Guide to evaluate vibration at wo rk. Part 2 : Hand arm vibration. Edited by
INRS. 2000.
ISSA. Vibration at work. Published by INRS for International section Research of the
ISSA, 1989. (available in English, French, German and Spanish)
Kaulbars, U. (1998) Technical protec tion against hand-arm vibrations. BIA
Handbuch, 33. Lfg. XII/98. (In German)
Kaulbars, U. (2001) Anti-vibration-gloves – Positive list. BIA Handbuch, 39. Lfg.
VII/2001. (In German)
Neugebauer, G.; Hartung, E. Mechanical vibrations at the workplace. Bochum: VTI
Verlag 2002. (In German)
Berufsgenossenschaftlicher Grundsatz. (2005) G46: Belastungen des Muskel- und
Skelettsystems. (In German)
Ministère fédéral de l'Emploi et du Travail (Belgique) Vibrations main bras. Stratègie
d'évaluation et de prévention de s risques. D/1998/1205/70 (In French)
ISPESL La sindrome da vibrazioni mano – braccio. Vibrazioni meccaniche nei luoghii
di lavoro : stato della normativa. (In Italian)
G.5 Web sites
http://www.humanvibration.com

EU Good Practice Guide HAV INDEX
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 58 06/12/2005 INDEX
A
accelerometers……………………………..42
anti-vibration gloves …………………….26 anti-vibration mounts……………………24 average vibration………………………….18
B
balancers …………………………………….24
C
carpel-tunnel syndrome………………… 37
case history…………………………………. 31
clinical tests………………………………… 31
clothing ……………………………………… 26
cold provocation tests …………………..32 colour coding ………………………………44 continuous tool operation………………13 control strategy…………………………….
21
D
daily vibration exposure……………….. 19
daily vibration exposures ………………43 declared emission value ………………..15 dominant frequency ……………………..41 Dupuytren's contracture ………………..37 duration of exposure …………………….10
E
equipment selection …………………….. 22
exposure action value…………..6, 38, 44 exposure duration…………………………
13
exposure limit value…………….6, 38, 44 exposure points system …………………
43
F
Framework Directive ……………………..7
frequency……………………………………. 41
frequency-weighted acceleration ……18 frequency-weighting …………………….
41
G
grip and push forces…………………….. 24
H
hand-arm vibration syndrome…….6, 36
health surveillance ………………………. 29
health records………………………………34 health risks ………………………………….
36 I
impact ………………………………………..11
impact wrench……………………………..13 intermittent tool operation …………….13
L
laboratory tests……………………………. 32
M
Machinery Directive …………………….23
magnitude …………………………………..10 maintenance ………………………………..23 maintenance ………………………………..
24
manufacturer ………………………….23, 25 manufacturer’s emission data ………..
15
measurement ………………………………. 40
measurement of vibration …………….. 17
monitoring and reassessment………… 28
muscle strength investigations………. 32
muscular weakness ………………………37 musculoskeletal disorders……………..
37
N
neurological disorders………………….. 37
neurological investigations …………… 32
nomogram …………………………………..43 numbness ……………………………………11
P
partial vibration exposures……………. 19
percussive …………………………………..11 personal protection……………………….
26
personal protective equipment……….23 physical examination ……………………
31
purchasing policy………………………… 22
Purdue pegboard ………………………….32
R
radiological investigations……………. 32
ranking ……………………………………….21
Raynaud's phenomenon ………………..36 reassessment ……………………………….28 resilient materials…………………………24 risk assessment…………………………….
10
risk controls ……………………………….. 22
rotary action tools ………………………..11

EU Good Practice Guide HAV INDEX
HAV Good practice Guide V5.3.doc Page 59 06/12/2005 S
substitution…………………………………. 22
supplier……………………………………….23
T
tactile sensitivity ………………………….32
tendonitis…………………………………….37 tension chains………………………………24 tingling ……………………………………….11 trade association……………………..16, 22 traffic light system ……………………….
44
training ……………………………………….23 training and supervision………………..26 training and information ……………….
25
transitional periods…………………………6
U
uncertainty………………………………….. 19 V
vascular disorders ……………………….. 36
vascular investigations…………………. 32
vibration…………………………………….. 40
vibration controls…………………………28 Vibration Directive ………………………..7 vibration directive responsibilities….
38
vibration emission…………………..23, 45 vibration magnitude …………..
15, 19, 49
vibration risk assessment ………………35 vibration test codes ………………………15 vibration total value ……………………..41 vibration perception thresholds………32 vibration-induced white finger ………36
W
warm clothing ……………………………..27
work patterns ………………………………13 work schedules…………………………….
26
workstation design ………………………. 24