PAD SWW safety group october 2020 HAV

Health and Safety ExecutiveAwdurdod Gweithredol lechyd a Diogelwch

Health and SafetyExecutive

What is HAVS?

Health Risks and Control

Paul Delderfield

HM Specialist Inspector

(Noise and Vibration)

Impact

• The life-changing harm caused by HAV is a widespread issue in the workforce and a far bigger problem than is widely recognised

Impact

• Extensive use of hand operated or hand guided tools persists even when other means of doing work that eliminates or reduces HAV exposure are readily available and often reduce the total cost of doing work

Impact

• HAV risk is poorly understood by many duty holders and there are many workers carrying out work with vibrating tools with no controls in place or no provision of HAV specific Health Surveillance

Impact

• HAV exposures below the ELV (tolerated daily exposure in the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations – CoVaWR) cause injury in many workers in less than 6 years. Effective Health Surveillance is an essential part of HAV management.

Impact

• “Turning pages over on the paper, you have to wet your fingers all the time because you just can’t feel the paper between your fingers”

• “You couldn’t pick a pen up or write because you’ve got no feeling there”

• “It affects everything. Sports , hobbies, whatever you want to do. You just can’t feel your fingers”

• “If I’d have realised how bad it was going to be, I wouldn’t have even started the trade I did”

Impact

• HAVS is irreversible, with no viable treatment– Physical effects

• Pain, discomfort, reduced dexterity• Affects work and everyday activities

– Mental and social effects • loss of self esteem

– Financial effects• loss of earnings

• However HAVS can be managed and employees can remain working

How widespread is the problem?

• 1.7 million exposed above the EAV -10% of people show HAVS symptoms after 10 years

• 0.9 million exposed above the ELV -10% of people show HAVS symptoms within 6 years

• HAVS RIDDORS make up around 50% of all ill health RIDDORs and numbers have not decreased in the last 5 years.

• 10% of those reporting staging of symptoms are already at a disabling severity (stage 3)

Why?

• Risks less obvious than safety risks

• Culture of ‘how we’ve always done it’

• Not self-limiting

• Therefore:

• Requires management

The Regulations

• The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005

• Published in HSE guidance:– Hand-arm Vibration (L140)– Free PDF to download

• However these are consistent with clear HSE guidance which was published in 1994 (HSG88)

• Specific guidance on inspection and enforcement is contained in:– HAV OG (Available from HSE website)

The Regulations

• Action required if daily exposure is above the Action value

– 2.5m/s2 A(8) (100 points)

• No exposure permitted above the Limitvalue

– 5m/s2 A(8) (400 points)

The Regulations

• Exposures below the EAV are not safe

• For any exposure to vibration that is likely to cause harm, a risk assessment is required (Reg 5(1))

• Duty to reduce risk from exposure to vibration to as low as is reasonably practicable

Which has the highest daily HAV exposure?

Road Breaker30 minutes total trigger time

Palm sander 60 minutes total trigger time

Strimmer4 hours total trigger time





121 pointsAbove EAV

450 pointsAbove ELV!

390 pointsAt ELV!

Do I have a vibration problem?Do I have a vibration problem?

Do I have a vibration problem?

• Assuming modern, well-designed tools

• Rotary tools

– Time to Action value ~1 hour

– Time to Limit value ~4 hours

Do I have a vibration problem?Do I have a vibration problem?

Do I have a vibration problem?

• Assuming modern, well-designed tools

• Hammer-action tools

– Time to Action value ~15 mins

– Time to Limit value ~1 hour





121 pointsAbove EAV

450 pointsAbove ELV!

390 pointsAt ELV!

Assess likely vibration exposure

How do I assess daily exposure?

• Need to know:

• Tool vibration magnitude (m/s2)

• ‘Trigger time’

• Don’t forget combinations of tools

Do I have to Measure Vibration?

(2) In conducting the risk assessment the employer shall assess daily exposure tovibration by means of –

(a) Observation of specific working practices;

(b) Reference to relevant information on the probable magnitude ofthe vibration corresponding to any equipment used in the particular workingconditions; and

If necessary, measurement of the magnitude of vibration towhich his employees are likely to be exposed,

Regulation 5(2) – The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005

COVAWR Reg 5(2)

Sources of vibration data

• Quote from Atlas Copco tool catalogue:– “The declared values

given in this table were obtained by laboratory type testing in accordance with the stated standards”

– “These declared values are not adequate for use in risk assessments”


• Measured vibration magnitude

– HAV – 3.3 m/s2 (4.5 hrs to EAV)

• Manufacturer data

– HAV – 2.8 m/s2 (6.5 hrs)

– WBV – 0.5 m/s2 (8 hrs)

• Measured vibration magnitude

– HAV – 5.5 m/s2 (1.5 hrs)

– WBV – 1.9 m/s2 (30 mins)

http://www.hse.gov.uk/vibration/hav/index.htm

Sources of vibration

data


• In most instances this table will be sufficient for risk assessment

• Now 4 pages of credible vibration magnitudes for most common tool types

• Derived from all of HSE SD vibration measurements

• In-use data in real working environments


• Use recommended initial value for RA

• Range indicates whether lower vibration alternatives may be available

• Responsibility on dutyholder to demonstrate validity of their data if using lower values

Other sources of vibration data

• HILTI tool selector

• VJT HAV exposure guide

• HAVI tool advisor

Trigger time

• Realistic estimate

• Look at job and task (items produced, materials consumed)

• If necessary, take some measurements with a stopwatch (mobile phone)

• Tool users tend to over-estimate

• Consider worst case

HAV exposure calculator

• http://www.hse.gov.uk/vibration/hav/vibrationcalc.htm

Control vibration exposure

What can we do?

• Monitor?

– Measure tool magnitudes regularly

– Log trigger times

– Traffic light systems

– ‘stop when you reach the limit’

What can we do?

• NO!

– Encourages exposure up to the limit

– ‘What can we get away with before we have to stop’

What can we do?

•Identify your risks and control them

Hierarchy of Control Hierarchy of controls

• Elimination – get rid of the task altogether

• Substitution – find a safer way to do it

• Engineering controls - Source safer tools or equipment/adaptations

• Administrative Controls – Job rotation, time limiting

• PPE

Elimination

• Does it have to be done?

Elimination

• Low maintenance planting

Elimination

• Frequency of cuts Frequency of cuts

• Rock drilling– On cliffs– drills up to 3m long

Elimination

Elimination

Hierarchy of Control Substitution

• Remote Control – reduce noise and vibration, also could be faster


• Alternative tools


• Use machine mounted tools where practical

Substitution

• Consider replacing petrol powered tools with battery

– Lower vibration and noise

– eliminates fumes

Hierarchy of Control Administrative controls

• Last resort

– Job rotation

– Time limiting

• Tool timers

• Traffic light system

Hierarchy of Control PPE

• No PPE available to control exposure to Hand-arm vibration

• Gloves and warm clothes help reduce likelihood of symptoms, not exposure

• You should assume no degree of protection from ‘anti-vibration’ gloves

Substitution and trainingSteel door manufacture – S Wales

7.5 points/minute8 minutes per door8 doors per day480 points per day

Substitution and trainingSteel door manufacture – S Wales



Check effectiveness of control measures

How do I check my controls are effective?Health Surveillance

• Goal is to keep people in work

• Consider

– Individual relevant factors

– Severity of disease or symptoms

– Degree of functional disability

– Age of employee

– Other medical conditions

– Treatment if applicable

• Aim is to prevent a serious stage developing and in particular to avoid disability

• For younger workers, may be difficult to justify continuing

• Context of likely level of exposure at time of onset of symptoms

• BUT there is no safe level of vibration (negligible risk at 1 m/s², 16 points on the ready reckoner)

• Presentation only, not for circulation

Information, Instruction and Training

• The employer has duties to give information and training to employees on:– vibration risk assessment– control measures – reporting signs and

symptoms– health surveillance

Employer’s Duties

• The employer has specific duties with regard to HAV to:

– Reduce risk and exposure to “As low as is reasonably practicable”

– Provide specific Health Surveillance for HAVS if exposure remains above Actionvalue

– Provide Information, Instruction and Training if exposure remains above Action value

– Never exceed the Limit value

HSE action

• HSE will take the strongest action:

• When clear negligence is shown eg:

– For cases where a duty holder has maintained high exposure, contrary to clear guidance, and known HAV problems associated with those processes

Talk to the employees

Questions?

[email protected]

07909 532615

PAD SWW safety group october 2020 HAV

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