The weekly safety review document provides information on health, safety and environment issues at a company. It includes statistics on injuries from the current year and dates of the most recent recordable injury. The main document discusses hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) which can be caused by prolonged use of vibrating tools. It outlines UK regulations to protect workers and common symptoms. The company's action plan includes informing employees of HAVS hazards, identifying vibration levels of tools, and ensuring control measures like usage time limits marked on tools are understood and effective. Tool usage times are categorized based on vibration levels.

1. Health, Safety and Environment
8 SIMS awaiting
Weekly Safety Review First Aid Recordable
Managers Comments
No. injuries ytd 18 2
Injury rate ytd 0 0
No. days worked since last 242
Issue Date : 23 / 10 / 2012 OSHA recordable (11/2/12) Injury
Performance
No. days worked since last 242
INJURY
RIDDOR injury (11/2/12)
MP 8615 Vibration at Work ………. FREE
WEEK
Control of Exposure 3
Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is perhaps better known as Vibration White
Finger. It is a disorder which affects the blood vessels, nerves and muscles of the
hand, wrist and forearm. It can be caused by significant exposure over time to hand
held equipment that vibrates excessively.
Legislation for this is the Control of Vibration Regulations ’05 and they aim to protect
workers from risks to their health from vibration.
Symptoms Include
• Tingling and numbness in the fingers
• In the cold and wet, fingers go white and are painful
• You can’t feel things with your fingers
• Pain or tingling in your forearms at night which stop you sleeping
• Loss of strength in you arms and hands
We as a business need to do 3 Key things
1. Inform our employees of the Hazards of Hand Arm Vibration
Syndrome
2. Identify the Control Measures
3. Ensure the identified Control Measures are in place and effective
1 – During 2010 we chose as one of our weekly safety themes the topic of Hand
Arm Vibration Syndrome, and again this week we are sharing knowledge on best
practice to be adopted by both staff and contractors
2 a – Trigger Time Charts were produced and displayed in areas where power
tools are stored. Trigger Time is the actual time the tool is used by an individual.
The chart shows maximum daily use times
2b – Owned tools were identified into 3 categories ……. (and tagged)
RED – these require individual risk assessment before use
See Table on
AMBER – can be used safely for up to 2 hours in an 8 hour day
next page
GREEN – Can be used safely for up to 8 hours in an 8 hour day
3 – So “Control Measures” should be in place, but are they understood and are
they effective ?

2. The procedure requires each work group to…….
• Identify all the vibrating tools in their area and put them in a register
Has your team any power tools ?
If so, have you a register ?
• Assess the level of vibration each tool produces
Have all tools on your register been assessed ?
• Place the correct coloured sticker on the equipment
Are all your tools marked with the correct colour tag ?
Contact the safety department to help carry
out your survey if you need to do so
TYPE OF TOOL CATEGORY
MAXIMUM TRIGGER TIME
(used in Sembcorp) Sticker colour
Grinders < 6”
Internal Grinders
8 hours in any 8 hour period. Tools
Normal Drills
A that vibrate up to 5 metres per
Power Saws
second squared (m/s²)
Engravers
Strimmers
Grinders > 6”
2 hours in any 8 hour period. Tools
Hammer Drills B
that vibrate up to 10 m/s²
Chain Saws
Tools that vibrate over 10 m/s² must
Impact Guns be assessed on our “Guide to
Needle Guns C Vibration” chart to identify usage
Impact Chisels time, or contact your supervisor or
the safety department
For Guidance - Power tools we use at home can also produce harmful levels
of vibration ………………..
A typical mains hedge cutter would be categorised B if used at work
A typical drill used on hammer action would be categorised B at work
A typical mains power jig saw would be categorised C at work
Be careful how long you use these tools for !