![[Basket]](images/basket.png){kind=small}
Your order![[cover image]](images/issue/BK201507.jpg)
Vibration
[ch 8: pages 140-141]The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 came into force in 2005. They are based on the second EU Physical Agents Directive and aim to protect workers from risks to their health resulting from exposure to vibration transmitted to the hand-arm and whole body. The regulations are now fully in force after a transitional period for the agriculture and forestry sectors expired last year. 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).
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).
In May 2014, a company responsible for maintaining a naval base in Cornwall was fined after three workers were left with permanent nerve damage. The three workers were exposed to high levels of hand arm vibration after handling tools such as hedge cutters and strimmers for up to eight hours a day. The company was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £10,000 after admitting two breaches of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005.
More information is available from the HSE Vibration web pages at: www.hse.gov.uk/vibration