Edinburgh Napier University

  Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is a debilitating industrial disease induced by exposure to vibrating machinery. As an irreversible condition, monitoring, controlling and reducing exposure are crucial to minimise the risk of developing the disease. Current standards for assessing risk evaluate vibration on the surface of the tool and thus do not capture the effect of different operator interactions and other variables have on the transmitted vibration energy. Annex D of the current standard (ISO 5349-1) acknowledges the existence of additional factors affecting exposure beyond the tool emitted vibration, such as operator technique, posture and coupling force. This further illustrates the limitations of using a single value for tool emitted vibration when attempting to quantify the risk faced by an individual.