Working with heavy and vibrating machinery can lead to life-long damage to hands and arms, if preventive measures are not taken. If you or your employees are working with heavy and vibrating machinery, then it is highly recommended to carry out an Hand Arm Vibration risk assessment and an occupational health assessment.
HAVS is an abbreviation for Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome that harms the ability to feel sensation in your hands and arms which leads to permanent numbness and tingling in fingers, muscles and joints. In many cases, it also causes bouts of white finger. If you have already developed the syndrome, taking precautions will stop further damage.
What Is HAVS?
HAVS stands for Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome, and it occurs in employees working with hand-held powered equipment with heavy vibrations.
According to the latest statistics published by HSE, nearly 2 million people in the UK are at risk of developing HAVS syndrome.
Some of the most common symptoms of HAVS are vascular and sensorineural in hands and fingers. The more exposure to the heavy machinery vibration, the more chances of developing severe symptoms of HAVS.
The good thing is that HAVS can be prevented and controlled by conducting appropriate assessments at regular periods. HAVS Risk Assessment is greatly helpful in order to make it “Better safe than sorry.”
In this blog, we have discussed all the stages of HAVS development and how a HAVS Risk Assessment can help in preventing these stages further.
In simple words, HAVS Assessment supports the business in finding out the power tools and processes causing hand vibrations and examines the risk exposure of each employee at the workplace. After thoroughly examining the situation, the HAVS Assessor guides you for needful further steps.
One should not ignore the primary symptoms of HAVS as prolonged and regular exposure of vibration not only pose a threat to the health of your employees; it also lasts for a lifetime.
Some of the most common symptoms of HAVS are inclusive of –
- The emergence of peculiar white patches on the skin, particularly in cold weather
- Slightly uncomfortable tingling pain in the fingers
- Numbness in one or more fingers
- The gradual loss of sensation in fingers
- Muscular damage
- Reduced grip and mobility of hands and fingers
What Are The Causes Of HAVS?
HAVS develops over a period of time , if you have over exposure of hand-held vibrating tools like power drills, chainsaws and pneumatic drills As you deal with vibrating tools, it could potentially have a serious effect on your hands and arms, slowly and gradually which leads to major harm in the long run due to small nerves and blood vessels in the fingers.
Some of the most common causes of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome are dealing with or operating vibrating equipment such as breakers, wacker plates, hammer drills, and lawnmowers.
Additionally, HAVS also results in holding materials that are being processed by machines causing vibration.
Here are some types of vibrating equipment that causes HAVS:-
→ Chainsaws
→ Grinders
→ Impact drills
→ Scaling hammers
→ Mowers
→ Saws
→ Floor polishers
→ Powered hammers
→ Breakers
→ Sanders
→ Polishers
Frequent and regular exposure to heavy vibration leads to permanent damage to the hands and arms’ nerve, muscles, and joints.
All these injuries are collectively referred to as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome(HAVS).
What Are The Symptoms Of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome?
As HAVS develops over a period of time, you will see symptoms that become more noticeable with time. In the initial stage, nerves get affected resulting in varied sensation which further results in changes in blood vessels leading to white finger. Furthermore, these changes lead to muscular aches and pains.
Here is detailed information about the Symptoms Of Hand-arm Vibration Syndrome –
Nerve Symptoms –
The early stage of HAVS symptoms includes numbness, tingling in one or more fingers. First it affects the tips of the fingers and then starts covering the whole fingers. With severity, it becomes almost impossible to do fine tasks like holding something with your fingers or handling screws, nails, coins, threads etcetera. Many times it affects all of the fingers while sometimes it harms one or two fingers mildly.
White Finger Symptoms –
White finger symptoms are also known as Raynaud’s phenomenon. White finger symptoms are triggered by extreme cold weather or touching a cold object. While dealing with a heavy and vibrating machine, fingers turn white then blue and then red.
Aches And Pains –
As your symptoms become severe, your muscles, joints and bones start aching along with pain in the hands and lower arm. Moreover, it also weakens your hand grip.
How do HAVS Symptoms Progress?
As discussed above, it starts with frequent numbness and tingling in your hands followed by white fingers even in summer times. As the symptoms develop further, numbness becomes permanent leading to muscle weakness and wasting.
Sometimes, HAVS symptoms develop months and years later when you stop working with vibrating tools.
Who Is At The Risk Of Developing HAVS?
Workers who are dealing with powered or heavy vibration machines every day are more at risk of developing HAVS.
So, if you are someone who is dealing with heavy machinery on a regular basis, you need to take care of yourself the most.
People working in the field of construction, engineering, and mining are the most at risk because of the nature of the work and frequent exposure to vibrating and powered tools.
HAVS mostly seen in workers who are in the field of –
→ Construction and civil work,
→ Engineering,
→ Forestry,
→ Foundries,
→ Motor vehicle manufacture and repair,
→ Maintenance of parks, gardens, verges, grounds, etc.,
→ Shipbuilding and ship repair,
→ Utilities (eg gas, water, telecommunications).
Can HAVS Be Prevented?
HAVS can be prevented to some extent in the early stages by following some steps. Following some steps help prevent HAVS in workers who use vibrating tools: (A risk assessment of the process is very important)
Avoiding overuse of the tools/machinery is key to prevent HAVS, have a plan is plan in place via your risk assessment.
→ Holding tools loosely and in varying positions,
→ Ensuring tools are up to the standards and well-maintained,
→ Using appropriate tools for the job,
→ Take frequent breaks from your tool,
→ Keep your hand warm while working,
→ Stop smoking as the chemicals in tobacco affect blood flow.
How Can One Prevent Form HAVS?
HAVS is irreparable damage to the nerves, muscles, and joints, so prevention of HAVS is the best and only option.
As soon as you develop the symptoms of HAVS, there is no way to reverse it.
In order to prevent HAVS, the UK government has set a legal requirement to adequately control and manage the risks presented by vibrating equipment in an organization.
There are numbers of things one can put in place to minimize the risks of vibrating equipment.
Besides the little costs of the control, it also supports productivity and quality improvements.
HAVS control measures include –
→ Replacing the need for vibrating equipment –
Replacing alternative ways of working, which eliminates the needs for vibrating and powered equipment, is the best way to prevent HAVS.
For example, accessing precast concrete, which has channels formed for services, eliminates the need to create channels for service on-site through concrete slabs.
→ Selecting The Right Equipment –
Another way to control HAVS includes selecting the right and appropriate equipment for the job.
Equipment manufacturers do their best to improve their products’ vibration performance, so the latest tools and machines are likely to emit lower vibration than older equipment.
→ Rotating Tasks And Job –
As an employer, you can ensure that the time an individual member of your workforce spends on vibration equipment is minimized with the rotation process, resulting in the breaking up of continuous periods of using the equipment.
→ Job Design –
Avoiding poor posture greatly reduces the impact of exposure to vibrating tools and equipment.
Moreover, using jigs or mechanical aids to hold vibrating materials to reduce and prevent heavy exposure.
Additionally, PPE such as gloves supports in reducing the risk, especially during cold weather, by keeping hands and fingers warm when operating vibration equipment.
→ Maintenance
Maintaining the good working condition of vibrating tools and equipment reduces the levels of vibration exposure.
Using vibration mounts that are worn out or unbalanced rotating parts and blunt tools increase the vibrating output, and so does the risk of developing HAVS.
Regulating the vibration exposure limits is also another very important factor that prevents HAVS.
What Are The Legal Vibration Exposure Limits?
When a worker is exposed to a source of vibration that is above the exposure action value of 2.5m/s2 or 100 points, he should undergo health surveillance. Even if a worker is operating heavy machinery occasionally, but exceeds the mentioned level, HAVS is recommended for him. Moreover, those who have already been diagnosed with HAVS but working below the exposure action value should undergo health surveillance.
HAVS Risk Assessment is 5 Tier Process –
Tier: 1 –
A basic assessment before a worker is exposed to any heavy vibration. A person needs to fill self-administered health and submit it to the occupational health provider for review.
Tier: 2 –
The screening questionnaire is the second tier of the HAVS Risk Assessment. The occupational health provider goes through the questionnaire to understand the health status of the person.
Tier : 3 –
A more detailed assessment by an occupational health nurse is done who collects the information like symptoms and physical examination of the person. This tier applies to those who have indicated HAVS symptoms on Tier 2 questionnaire. Usually, this is enough to guide a diagnosis, but a HAVS Tier 4 assessment is required by a qualified doctor to make a formal diagnosis.
Tier: 4 –
A qualified doctor provides formal diagnosis, advice about RIDDOR reporting and fitness for work. A detailed description is taken by the doctor, followed by the examination of blood pressure examination, sensation and grip strength dexterity.
Tier: 5 –
After reviewing and examining the symptoms and physical condition of a person, the doctor finally judges if the symptoms need to be taken into account or not and proceeds further accordingly.
Regulation Related To HAVS In The UK
Along with the Health and Safety at Work act 1974, the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations Act 2005 implies employers to make sure the healthy condition of their employees.
To ensure the prevention of HAVS employers should –
- Give frequent breaks to employees from operating tools
- Providing appropriate safety equipment and anti-vibration gloves
- Maintenance of reasonable temperature at the workplace
- Initial as well as regular training of health and safety standards in the workplace
How Orbis Environmental And Safety Can Help Your Business?
Orbis Environmental and Safety is one of the most well-known and reliable Health and Safety Consultants in the U.K.
Employers are responsible for the health of their employees as employees are valuable assets for any business. Health and safety risk assessments are a way of ensuring that employees are fulfilling their obligations to their employees by minimizing the risks to their health.
For the last so many years, HAVS has remained a type of injury that has gone unnoticed, causing severe damage to hands and fingers.
Nonetheless, in recent years we have availed simple medical tests to diagnose the HAVS along with its severity degree.
If you are suffering from any of the symptoms of HAVS and want reliable support, you can contact Orbis Environmental and safety to assist you.
We are always more than happy to support all of our customers. We have the utmost integrity and trustworthy service. We cover a wide range of Health and Safety advice.
We can advise on ways to eliminate the risk of developing HAVS. We can provide health surveillance to detect and respond to early signs of damage.