Translation of "Hand-arm-schwingungen" in English

The risks from handarm vibration affect people across many industries and occupations.

This guide will help employers comply with the “Vibration Directive” as it applies to handarm vibration.

For handarm vibration, only one frequency-weighting curve is used for all three axes.

Some health surveillance techniques related to handarm injury are described in Annex F.

For handarm vibration, the frequencies thought to be important range from about 8 Hz to 1000 Hz.

Handarm vibration is caused by vibration transmitted into the hand and arms through the palm and fingers (see Annex B).

You should provide warm clothing and gloves if there is an increased handarm vibration risk due to the cold.

However this risk reduction cannot easily be quantified and so gloves should not normally be relied upon to provide protection from handarm vibration.

Vascular disorders, neurological disorders and bone and joints abnormalities caused by hand-transmitted-arm vibration are recognized occupational diseases in several European countries.

While some handarm vibration control solutions will be quite straightforward, others will require changes to the way in which work is organised.

Tingling or numbness of the hands may be noticeable during or after use of a power tool and is an indicator of handarm vibration risk from long-term tool use.

Workers exposed to handtransmitted arm vibration may experience tingling and numbness in their fingers and hands.

Workers should also be aware that the use of power tools for do-it-yourself work in the home or activities such as motorbike riding will add to daily vibration exposures and so increase the risk of developing handarm vibration injury.

The essential advantage, however, is the reduction in the hand-arm vibrations acting on the operator, thereby making it possible to work in greater comfort.

Copies of the two free leaflets Hand-arm vibration: advice for employers, IND(G)175(L), and Hand-arm vibration: advice on vibration white finger for employees and the self-employed, IND(G)126(L) are available from HSE Books only (see above).

EU Directive 2002/44/EC (the ‘Vibration Directive’) places responsibilities on employers to ensure that risks from handarm vibration are eliminated or reduced to a minimum (these responsibilities are summarised in Annex A).

The ‘Vibration Directive’ (Directive 2002/44/EC - see “Further reading” box) sets minimum standards for controlling the risks from handarm vibration.

The purpose of the handarm vibration risk assessment is to enable you as the employer to make a valid decision about the measures necessary to prevent or adequately control the risks from exposure of workers to handarm vibration.

You will need to review your handarm vibration controls periodically to ensure they are still relevant and effective.

Member States shall adopt provisions to ensure the appropriate health surveillance of workers where the handarm vibration risk assessment indicates a risk to their health.

Where symptoms are linked to exposures that are below the action value, it may identify workers who are particularly susceptible to handarm vibration risks.

Amongst other requirements, the Machinery Directive requires manufacturers, importers and suppliers of machines to provide information on vibration emissions at the hand.

Workers exposed regularly to excessive hand-arm-transmitted vibration may be suffer in the long term with disturbances to finger blood flow and to the neurological and locomotor functions of the hand and arm.

Check the level of vibrations transmitted to the hand-arm system (expressed in m/s²) in the machine Use and Maintenance booklet and, if possible, choose the one with the lowest level!