Case Study:
Housing Association
HAVS Monitoring
A Practical Look at How HAVSco Has Improved Daily Monitoring Across a Major Welsh Housing Association
Cartrefi Conwy is an independent not-for-profit Registered Social Landlord. They manage over 4,000 properties in Northern Wales, as well as working to build 1,000 more new homes over the course of the next decade. The housing maintenance teams consist of a wide range of trades, meaning a diverse range of tools being used on a daily basis, from gardening tools through to whacker plates and breaker drills. One thing that they all have in common is a need to monitor hand arm vibration (HAV) levels. The previous equipment worked on a functional level, but it wasn’t fully embraced by the teams for a number of reasons; primarily efficiency. After careful review they settled upon the HAVSense HAVS monitoring system, produced by HAVSco.
The earlier monitoring kit had been in place for a long time and everyone knew how it worked, but it was not the quickest system to get going. Each time a tool was switched, operators had to go through a pairing step, which added small delays throughout the day. With the mix of trades on the team, from electricians and plumbers through to joiners, groundworkers and factory staff, those little stops and starts added up. The aim was not to overhaul the process entirely, but simply to find something that allowed people to get on with their work without the extra steps.
The transition to HAVSco was straightforward. Following a trial period and an on-site demonstration from the HAVSco team, the system was rolled out across Cartrefi Conwy within a matter of days. Operators began using it with very little adjustment. They simply place the unit under their glove and begin work, with no pairing or additional setup. More than sixty people now use the devices across all trades, and it has become a routine part of daily activity.
From a management perspective, the main shift has been the volume and reliability of exposure data. Instead of relying on trigger-time estimates and manual pairing steps, the team now receives direct vibration exposure measurements from the power tools automatically. This has given supervisors a clearer view of daily exposure patterns and made it easier to intervene when someone is approaching a limit. In several cases, the data has also supported health surveillance decisions, allowing the organisation to set internal limits below regulatory guidance for individuals who appear more sensitive to vibration.
Administrative time has reduced noticeably. Without manual pairing or data handling, both site staff and office teams spend far less time preparing or processing monitoring activity. Their external auditor has also extended the audit interval from two years to three, noting the consistency and clarity of the HAVSco data as a contributing factor.
Feedback from the workforce has been hugely positive. With more than sixty operators now using HAVSense across different trades, the common theme has been that the device simply fits into the rhythm of their work. The removal of any pairing steps or configuration screens means operatives can pick it up at the start of the day, slip it under a glove and get on with the task at hand. Supervisors have found that the simpler setup has made monitoring feel far more routine. Because the device does not interrupt the flow of work, operators tend to use it much more consistently, which has naturally improved the quality of the information coming back.
As the team settled into the system, they began to use the data in a more immediate and practical way. A few examples came up in conversation. Checking exposure at the end of a job and reshuffling the next day’s tasks, or spotting when someone was getting close to their limit and adjusting the plan before it became an issue. These small, day by day adjustments have become a normal part of how they organise work, rather than something that takes place only during formal reviews.
The data has also found a natural place in their long-term planning. Patterns emerging from regular monitoring have been used to shape conversations within health surveillance reviews, with clearer evidence available when discussing exposure-sensitive individuals or high-vibration tools. In some cases, they have used the data to set internal thresholds below national guidance where they felt it supported good practice.
Looking ahead, the Association is planning to add an additional HAVSense device to their pool so they can maintain full coverage even when units are rotating for charging or calibration. Their aim is to keep monitoring continuous throughout the year across every trade, and the consistency of results so far has given them confidence to build the system into wider planning and reporting. With the technology now well embedded across their teams, the Association sees HAVSense as a stable part of its health and safety framework, helping them maintain a clear view of exposure levels without adding complexity for staff.
With the system now fully established across all trades, Cartrefi Conwy has been able to bring both daily checks and long-term planning onto a much firmer footing. As the Group Health and Safety Advisor, Josh Stanley put it:
“The system works neatly into our routines. It gives us reliable information without adding extra work for the teams on site, and it helps us look after them more effectively. We can see what is happening on a daily basis and step in quickly when we need to.”
This captures the overall experience of the initiative and how the technology now supports both practical monitoring and wider health surveillance.
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Before
|
After
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| Longer setup with manual pairing | Setup in seconds, no tool pairing |
| Data was reliant on operator actions | Automatic tool-based measurement |
| Lacked buy-in due to time inefficiencies | High acceptance from more than 60 users |
| 2-year audit cycle | 3-year audit cycle due to data confidence |
| Less consistency for surveillance | Reliable evidence for proactive decisions |
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