June 18, 2003—The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is pursuing studies to help reduce risks of hand-vibration disorders for employees who use jackhammers, chipping hammers, power drills, and other vibrating tools. As far back as 1911, scientists associated vibration from hand-held tools with the risk of pain, numbing, and blanching of the fingers, known as vibration white finger. Although limited progress has been made in reducing this risk over the years, many key aspects of the problem still are not well understood, hampering further efforts to identify worker populations at risk, and to design effective control measures.
Various in-depth studies will be conducted, such as investigating the effectiveness of anti-vibration gloves through tests using an instrumented vibrating handle that simulates specific tools and vibration characteristics.
For further information on NIOSH’s hand-arm vibration research, contact Ren G. Dong, NIOSH Health Effects Laboratory Division, or Aaron Schopper, NIOSH Health Effects Laboratory Division.
