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

Call 0800 066 99 07 and get our personal injury team working for you straight away. The call is free, the advice is free and nothing will ever be deducted from your compensation.

Vibration hazards at work usually result in either:

• Whole body vibration (WBV) - where the body is shaken by a machine or vehicle. The most widely reported WBV injury is back pain.
• hand-arm vibration (HAV) - where the vibration effect is localised to a particular part of the body. The most well known is Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) better known as Vibration White Finger (VWF).
  

In both cases, vibration can result in other injuries including damage to nerves, muscles and joints.

Whole Body Vibration

Symptoms of Whole Body Vibration (WBV) include: 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 and cold conditions are believed to exacerbate the condition.

Whole body vibration can result in:

• bone damage, rubbing of bones and joints causing inflammation, especially along the backbone;
• stomach and digestive problems from shaking of organs and the abdominal cavity;
• heart problems, varicose veins, varicocele and piles due to constant variation in blood pressure; and
• disruption of the nervous system resulting in weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, irritability, headache, insomnia and impotence.

Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) or Vibration White Finger

Vibration White Finger is one form of Raynaud's Disease which causes the extremities to turn white and become painful or numb. There is no cure for vibration white finger.

Workers at risk of VWF are those that regularly use hand-held powered tools such as concrete breakers, chipping hammers jigger picks and pneumatic drills, vibrating pokers, sanders, angle grinders, vibratory compactors, hammer drills, jigsaws and scabblers.

A Medical Research Council survey in 1997-98 estimated 301,000 people suffer from vibration white finger (VWF) in Great Britain. Vibration White Finger is a prescribed disease and badly affected workers (where sufferers may find it impossible to dress themselves or drive) may be eligible for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

Workers suffering relatively mild symptoms of VWF can secure compensation through the courts with recent awards secured through construction union UCATT ranged from roughly £1,000 up to £7,000 for general damages, plus further awards for loss of earnings.

• The first signs of vibration white finger are tingling or numbness in the fingers after work.
• As exposure increases, fingertips nearest the source of vibration turn white and stay like that for an hour or more.
• A "pins-and-needles" pain develops as circulation returns. Attacks can occur outside working hours and can be triggered by touching cold objects. This can result from pressure on nerves passing through the carpal tunnel at the wrist giving rise to numbness and tingling in the fingers especially at night
• Tenosynovitis (inflammation and pain in the tendon around the wrist and foot)
• Muscle degeneration can occur in the arms or legs.
• After prolonged exposure, the whiteness can spread to the whole hand and fingers may become permanently damaged or gangrenous and require amputation.

Exposure to risk

In both cases, the extent of damage vibration causes to the human body depends on:

• the length of time a worker is exposed;
• the frequency rate at which the surface or implement vibrates, measured in vibrations per second or Hertz (Hz); and
• the amplitude of vibration which is measured in terms of displacement - metres (m); velocity - metres per second (m/s); and acceleration - metres per second per second (m/s²).

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 Control of Vibration at Work Regulations implement the European Union’s Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive 1999 covering Vibration White Finger and Whole Body Vibration.

These Regulations stipulate:

• Exposure Action Values - the level above which the employer must take measures to control the vibration risk (set at 2.5m/s²).
• Exposure Limit Values - the level at which further daily exposure must be prevented (set at 5m/s²)

The HSE’s Vibration Calculator can be used to assist you in checking the level of vibration you are suffering.

Always take legal medical and legal advice if you suffer symptoms of vibration injury caused by your work. injurywatch.co.uk's free legal helpdesk is always a good place to start.

Negligence of employers

In July 1998, the Court of Appeal upheld an award of damages to seven employees of British Coal claiming damages for Vibration White Finger (VWF).

The Court of Appeal determined that after January 1976, British Coal should have implemented a range of precautions, including training, warnings, surveillance and job rotation where exposure to vibration was significant.

The Court went on to consider what degree of exposure would be reasonable. They supported the standards set out in the HSE Guidance booklet Hand-Arm Vibration published in 1994, which establishes limits for vibration dose measured as an eight hour average, or A8. They considered that an exposure of 2.8 m/s² A8 would be an appropriate level for prudent employers to use. This level of exposure would lead to a 10% risk of developing finger blanching (the first, reversible stage of VWF) within eight years.

The Court also suggested a form of wording to warn employees: "If you are working with vibrating tools and you notice that you are getting some whitening or discolouration of any of your fingers then, in your own interests, you should report this as quickly as possible. If you do nothing you could end up with some very nasty problems in both hands".

Under Common Law if your employer fails to provide adequate protection against vibration injuries you have a very strong case of succeeding in a claim for damages for the injuries you suffer.

Areas where an employer may be negligent include:

• if HSE guidelines for exposure to vibration are exceeded
• if a job could be done in a different way without using vibrating tools;
• if low-vibration tools are available;
• if the wrong tools for the job are being used;
• if workers are exposed to vibration for long periods (either cumulatively or without break);
• if tools have not been correctly maintained and repaired to avoid vibration caused by faults and general wear;
• if the workplace is excessively cold;
• if the risks of vibration to the employee have been inadequately warned;
• if head and legroom is inadequate or work conditions require a bad posture; or
• if proper training has not been given.

As always, gather the evidence:

• see a doctor -the effect of your injuries will not be obvious in most cases; injuries don't always show up straight away
• keep a dossier. Include a diary recording all the details of the way you were required to work. Detail all medical contacts and liaisons with your employer noting who you saw and all the expenses or losses you incurred. Include receipts (see claimable expenses).
• record all the details of your work methods - taking photographs of the site (signed and dated on the back), list the make, type, and date of manufacture of the equipment you use and record the hours of day when you were required to use it
• as far as possible gather personal details of all the people who were aware of work practices
• gather information (backed up by witness statements from others) as to how long the hazard had remained unrectified.
• note and detail any measures (such as training) which had been taken to warn of or otherwise diminish the risk
• note and detail any measures (such as work practices or expected hours of operation) which exacerbated the risk
• your legal team should be able to assess your exposure to vibration by using industry-standard measurement methods.