December 1, 2003—The UK Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has just published two consultative documents on proposed new regulations and guidance implementing the European Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive. The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations will require employers to take action to prevent their employees from developing diseases caused by exposure to vibration at work from equipment, vehicles, and machines. The proposed regulations will specify daily levels of vibration exposure.
Two distinct types of vibration hazard are covered by the proposed regulations:
- Hand-arm vibration, a major cause of occupational ill health, occurs in many industries, including construction/demolition and public utilities (gas, electric, telecoms, water). It affects people who use hand-held or hand-guided power tools and those workers holding materials that vibrate when fed into machines. Long-term exposure to high levels of hand-arm vibration can lead to a range of disabling conditions including vibration white finger, permanent loss of feeling in the fingers, and painful joints in the hands, wrists, and arms. Around 3,000 new claims for Industrial Injury Disability Benefit are made each year in relation to vibration white finger. The Courts have also awarded large sums of compensation for the disease in recent years.
- Whole-body vibration occurs when people are sitting or standing on industrial machines or moving vehicles that transmit vibration and shocks into the operator. Long-term exposure to high levels of whole-body vibration is associated with low back pain. The risk is mainly from operating off-road vehicles, such as those used in construction.
Comments are invited until March 31, 2004. The documents, Proposals for new Control of Vibration at Work Regulations implementing the Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive (2002/44/EC) Hand-arm Vibration (ref no CD190) and Proposals for new Control of Vibration at Work Regulations implementing the Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive (2002/44/EC) Whole-body vibration (ref no CD191), are available from HSE or free as hard copies from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2WA, tel: 01787-881165.
