Workplace exposure to vibration

in Europe: an expert review

Vibration directive (2002/44/EC)

 Directive 2002/44/EC on the minimum

health and safety requirements regarding the
exposure of workers to the risks arising from
physical agents (vibration)
 Came into force across Europe on 6th July 2005
 National measures transposing the directive have
been taken by all 27 Member States
 Sets ‘exposure action values’ and exposure limit
values for hand-arm vibration (HAV) and for whole-
body vibration (WBV)
Sources and extent of exposure

 One in three workers in Europe is exposed to

vibration at least a quarter of the time
 Number of affected workers has not changed
since 1996
 Older workers are more likely to be exposed
to vibration in agriculture than in
construction
 In manufacturing, workers are twice as
likely to be exposed to vibration if they are
self employed
Workplace exposure to vibration in Europe:
Sources and extent of exposure
Likely exposures above limit value and action level

 Exposure above the directive’s limit value for whole

body vibration is likely in several types of mobile
machine:
 e.g. some scrapers, finishers, dozers, loaders and fork-lift trucks

 Exposure above the directive’s action level for hand-

arm vibration is likely in operators of most main
percussive and roto-percussive tools:
 e.g. chipping hammer, demolition hammer, rock drill, breaker,
impact drill, scabbler, rammer, vibratory rammer), of main
rotative tools (e.g. grinder, impact wrench, sander) and main
alternative tools (e.g. jigsaw, file)
Exposure for main types of off-road machine
Variations in national provisions

 Following the directive, all national legislation takes

the daily dose as the starting criterion
 However, some countries have set stricter
requirements than those of the directive:
 Finland and Poland have fixed short-term exposure limit values
 Germany has an exposure limit value of 0.8 m/s² for vertical
axis whole-body vibration

 Many complementary methods for controlling

exposure to vibration are found in national legislation
 e.g. maintenance requirements and limitation of exposure
duration
Management of vibration risks

 Need to adopt a strategy based on the evaluation of risks

 Directive requires employers to assess vibration magnitude
 In practice, very few employers actually take measurements
and many do not even evaluate the risk
 Evaluation is usually based on:
 data provided by the equipment manufacturer or obtained from
online databases
 In order to assist employers with their risk evaluation:
 Some countries have trained laboratories to carry out vibration
measurement (e.g. Poland, Spain)
 Other countries have favoured management of risks by users
themselves (Belgium)
 Overall, the number of accredited organisations in the field of
vibration assessment is still small whatever the country
Control strategy

 Eradication of vibration syndrome needs action at

several different levels:
 introduction of low-vibration tools,
 organisation of work,
 medical surveillance, etc.
 Technical solutions are well known, but under-used
 Key success factors to controlling vibration exposure:
 Integrated step-by-step approach,
 Effective guidance,
 Implementation of a purchasing policy,
 Collaboration with manufacturers,
 Implementation of a range of measures,
 Information and awareness-raising.
Effects of the vibration directive

 Uptake of technical solutions varies between

countries
 High in Finland, Germany and Poland, but relatively low in
Belgium, France and Spain
 Differences in extent of uptake may be due to
 General lack of awareness,
 High costs,
 Purchasers’ ignorance of how to select adequate equipment
 Low OSH awareness among manufacturers and distributors
 Vibration directive will lead to
 Implementation of technical measures and adaptation of
equipment
 Insurers, social partners, research organisations and
manufacturers
 Will provide good practice guides for risk assessment and
health surveillance, but may also encourage development of
low-cost dosimeters and of online calculators
Overview of research in EU-27

 Vibration directive has encouraged research in countries

previously not very active in this field
 There are still insufficient data concerning
 Exposure to vibration in different sectors,
 Use of machinery under various working conditions,
 Effects of maintenance and age of machinery
 Further field study measurements are required
 WBV: need joint scientific efforts to clarify the prerequisite
for an adequate risk assessment
 Evaluation methods for health risks, comfort and performance in
ISO 2631-1 and -5 (frequency weighting, multiplying factors) and
used in application of the EU directive, are under critical discussion
 HAV: need to develop standardised, reproducible
measurement methods for several classes of machines and
working conditions, including the use of anti-vibration
gloves
Workplace exposure to vibration in Europe:
an expert review

More information available at:

 Publication:
http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/8108322_vibration
_exposure

 European Risk Observatory

http://osha.europa.eu/en/riskobservatory

 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

http://osha.europa.eu