Vibration

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 came into force in 2005. They are based on the second EU Physical Agents Directive. The regulations aim to protect workers from risks to their health resulting from exposure to vibration transmitted to the hand-arm and whole body.

Daily exposure to vibration is measured by a formula known as an A (8) value. This is the average (A) exposure over an eight-hour (8) day and takes into account the magnitude of the vibration and how long workers are exposed to it. The rate of vibration of a tool or piece of machinery is measured in metres (m) per second (s) — its movement per second. Suppliers must provide information on the vibration emission value of their equipment.

The regulations specify daily exposure levels at which employers will be required to take action to control risks, known as the “exposure action values” (EAVs), and where they must prevent further daily exposure, known as the “exposure limit values” (ELVs) (Regulation 4):

• for whole body vibration the daily exposure limit value is 1.15 m/s2 A(8) and the daily exposure action value is 0.5 m/s2 A(8).

• for hand-arm vibration the daily exposure limit value is 5 m/s2 A(8) and the daily exposure action value is 2.5 m/s2 A(8); and

The regulations contain schedules explaining how employers should work out their employees’ daily exposure to vibration.

The regulations require employers to:

• eliminate or, where elimination is not reasonably practicable, reduce exposure to vibration to as low a level as is reasonably practicable (Regulation 6(1));

• introduce a programme of measures to be taken at the action values to reduce exposure to vibration to as low a level as is reasonably practicable (Regulation 6(2));

• take action at the limit values and stop the work on exceeding the limit values (Regulation 6(4));

• carry out health surveillance (Regulation 7); and

• provide workers with information, instruction and training (Regulation 8).

The HSE agreed transitional periods to allow employers to continue to use equipment and work processes first used before 6 July 2007 that expose their workers above the exposure limit values, but only until 6 July 2010. For whole body vibration, employers in agriculture and forestry still have until July 2014 to comply.

The HSE recently prosecuted GKN Aerospace after it failed to heed the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2006 for at least six years, leaving five workers with long-term damage to their circulation and nerve systems after contracting hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). The workers developed advanced symptoms of the well-known condition after prolonged use of vibrating hand tools, used as part of their work building engine casings at a GKN plant.

A health surveillance programme identified the five employees as suffering advanced debilitating problems in 2009 but the company failed to assess the risks and put controls in place to protect the significant number of remaining workers. The company was fined a total of £26,800 and ordered to pay full costs of £8,256. More information is available from the HSE Vibration web pages are at: www.hse.gov.uk/vibration