HAV Monitoring: Why Regular Assessments Are More Important Than Ever

How regular hand-arm vibration assessments protect workers and keep your business compliant with the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations.

Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is one of the most common — and most under-reported — occupational health conditions in UK industry. It is also entirely preventable. The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 place a clear duty on employers to assess exposure, eliminate or reduce it, and monitor the health of workers who use vibrating tools.

The cost of getting it wrong

HAVS causes permanent nerve and vascular damage. Once symptoms appear, they do not go away. For employees that means loss of grip, loss of dexterity, sleep disturbance and, in advanced cases, an inability to keep working in their trade. For employers, HSE prosecutions for inadequate vibration management routinely result in six-figure fines, and civil claims add to the bill.

What a competent assessment looks like

A proper HAV assessment measures the vibration magnitude of each tool in the conditions it is actually used in — not the manufacturers lab figure. We combine tool-specific magnitude data with realistic trigger-time observations on site, then calculate exposure points and daily A(8) values for each role. The output is a clear action plan: which tools are within the exposure action value, which exceed the exposure limit value, and what controls (tool replacement, job rotation, training) are required.

Health surveillance

Assessment is only half the duty. Anyone regularly exposed above the action value must be enrolled in tiered health surveillance, starting with a Tier 1 questionnaire and escalating to occupational health assessment where symptoms are reported. Records must be kept for the lifetime of employment plus 40 years.

How we help

We deliver on-site HAV assessments, write the supporting risk assessment and method statement updates, and train supervisors to recognise early symptoms. If your last assessment is more than two years old — or if your tool fleet, suppliers or working methods have changed — it is time to revisit.