An invisible hazard from power tools and machinery that can permanently disable
Repeated vibration from hand and power tools, and from vehicles and mobile plant, can cause permanent damage to nerves, blood vessels and joints. Hand-arm vibration causes Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) and carpal tunnel; whole-body vibration harms the back, neck and shoulders. WorkSafe expects controls once exposure reaches an action value of 2.5 m/s², with a daily limit of 5 m/s². Caught early, HAVS can be reversible; ignored, it can be permanent.
Hand-arm vibration (HAV) passes through the hands and arms, usually from hand-held power tools such as grinders, jackhammers, chainsaws and saws. Over time it can cause Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), carpal tunnel syndrome and other musculoskeletal conditions.
Whole-body vibration (WBV) passes through the body from a seat or floor, usually when driving machinery or vehicles over rough ground — earth-movers, forklifts and crushing plant — and contributes to back, neck and shoulder disorders.
Symptoms include tingling, numbness, pain, weakness, loss of dexterity and impaired blood flow (vibration white finger). They can come and go at first, but with continued exposure they can become prolonged and then permanent — sometimes within months, more often over years. Workers exposed to noise and vibration together are more likely to lose their hearing than from noise alone. See occupational noise.
WorkSafe expects you to put control measures in place if workers reach the exposure action value of 2.5 m/s² (8-hour average), and recommends a maximum daily exposure limit of 5 m/s² (8-hour average). The amount of vibration depends on the tool, how it is used, how long for, and how well it is maintained — blunt or poorly maintained tools vibrate more.
| Level | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Eliminate / substitute | Mechanise the task, or choose low-vibration tools and the right tool for the job. |
| Engineer | Keep tools sharp and well maintained, use anti-vibration mounts and damped or suspended seats. |
| Administrative | Limit exposure time, rotate jobs, train workers, keep them warm and dry, and avoid over-gripping tools. |
| Monitor | Check exposure levels and include vibration symptoms in your health monitoring. |
Engage workers and their representatives when assessing the risk and deciding on controls and monitoring.
Record where vibration is a risk and keep your controls in one place. Book a demo and we'll show you how it works — free 30-day trial included.
Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome is permanent damage to the nerves and blood vessels of the hands and arms from repeated exposure to vibration, usually from power tools. Symptoms include tingling, numbness, pain and loss of dexterity.
Hand-arm vibration passes through the hands from tools and causes HAVS and carpal tunnel. Whole-body vibration passes through the seat or floor of vehicles and plant and contributes to back, neck and shoulder disorders.
WorkSafe expects controls at the exposure action value of 2.5 m/s2 (8-hour average) and recommends a maximum daily exposure of 5 m/s2 (8-hour average).
If caught early, the symptoms can be reversible. If exposure continues and symptoms are ignored, the damage can become permanent and disabling.
Eliminate or mechanise the task, choose low-vibration tools, keep them sharp and maintained, limit exposure time and rotate jobs, keep workers warm, and monitor exposure and health.
