Vibration White Finger

Anyone who regularly and frequently is exposed to high levels of vibration can suffer permanent injury.

The construction industry has the second highest incidence of vibration white finger (VWF) injury. There is no effective treatment; prevention is the only cure.

Vibration hazards at work usually present themselves in two forms:

Whole body vibration (WBV) - where the body is shaken by a machine or vehicle;

Hand-arm vibration (HAV) - where the vibration effect is localised to a particular part of the body.

Exposure to hand-arm vibration may result in a range of health effects collectively known as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome or HAVS. The most well known is vibration white finger (VWF); other effects include damage to nerves, muscles and joints. A Medical Research Council survey in 1997-98 estimated 301,000 people suffer from VWF in Great Britain.

VWF is a prescribed disease, so the worst affected workers may be eligible for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. Workers suffering relatively mild symptoms of VWF can secure compensation through the courts. Recent awards secured through construction union UCATT ranged from roughly £1,000 up to £7,000.

Canadian organisation CCOHS describes a wide range of symptoms that workers exposed to Whole Body Vibration (WBF) may experience from fatigue, insomnia, headache and "shakiness" through to circulatory, bowel, respiratory, muscular and back disorders. WBV can be a particular risk to plant and machinery operators.

Workers at risk of VWF are those that regularly use hand-held powered tools such as:

concrete breakers, chipping
hammers, jigger picks;
vibrating pokers;
sanders, angle grinders;
vibratory compactors;
hammer drills, jigsaws; and
scabblers.

A list of the symptoms of VWF from its mildest form to its most severe are:

Tingling and numbness in the fingers, often continuing after use of machinery.
One finger temporarily turns white and may start to ache.
The finger turns white more often.
Other fingers begin turning white.
After several fingers turn white, the disease is probably irreversible; the thumb is not usually affected.
The sufferer experiences increasingly frequent painful attacks at any time.
In extreme cases the sufferer may lose fingers - this is more likely when the worker is using vibrating machinery at very low temperatures.
Symptoms tend to be particularly bad in cold weather.

There are no specific duties that employers have to follow to reduce vibration risks at work; however, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require that the employer must carry out a risk assessment and establish controls of vibration injury risks. The TGWU Safety Rep?s Handbook lists the potential risk factors to be considered:

The amount of tool vibration
The length of time for which the tool is used
Establishing whether the tool is used continuously or intermittently
The temperature of the workplace
The work method
The ergonomics of the task
Each worker?s susceptibility to injury

The UK Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has consulted on proposals for specific regulations on work vibration risks in 2004. The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations will implement the European Union?s Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive 1999 covering VWF and WBV. The Regulations have to come into effect before July 2005. These Regulations will stipulate:

Exposure Action Values - the level above which the employer must take measures to control the vibration risk
Exposure Limit Values - the level at which further daily exposure must be prevented.
These Action Levels will be set at 2.5 and 5 m/s2. The HSE?s Vibration Calculator pages (see resources) help to explain these levels.

HSE states that it is the employer?s duty to protect workers from HAVs but issues the following advice for workers:

Ask the employer if a job could be done in a different way without using vibrating tools;
use low-vibration tools;
always use the right tool for the job;
ensure tools have been maintained and repaired to avoid vibration caused by faults and general wear;
keep cutting tools sharp;
reduce the amount of time you use the tool in one go, by doing other jobs in between;
avoid gripping or forcing the tools more than necessary;
store tools correctly so that they do not have very cold handles when next used;
and, encourage good blood circulation by keeping warm, giving up or reducing smoking, and massaging and exercising finger during breaks.