How well do you actually know the Vibration at Work Regulations?
The Vibration Regulations have applied in Great Britain since 2005. Most people working in health and safety know they exist. Fewer can state the numbers from memory, and fewer still can explain the exposure points system without reaching for a calculator.
That matters, because the points are where the regulations bite. Exposure builds through a shift across several tools, and the only practical way to add it up is in points.
Eight questions below to see where you stand. Most health and safety leads get six. The written guide follows underneath, so you can check the answers against it afterwards.
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The Vibration Regulations
Eight questions on the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. Most health and safety leads get six.
What the regulations require
The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 place the duty on the employer. Not on the operator, and not on the tool manufacturer. Manufacturers must declare the vibration emission of their equipment, but assessing and controlling what your people are actually exposed to is your responsibility.
The regulations cover both hand arm vibration and whole body vibration. The figures below relate to hand arm vibration.
What A(8) actually means
Exposure values are written as A(8). The eight refers to an eight hour reference period, and the value is the exposure normalised to it.
This is the single most misunderstood part of the regulations. A(8) does not mean the operator used the tool for eight hours. It means the exposure they received, over whatever period they actually worked, expressed as an equivalent averaged across an eight hour day.
The practical consequence matters. An operator on a high vibration tool can pass the action value in well under two hours. Short exposures are not safe exposures.
The exposure action value
The daily exposure action value, or EAV, is 2.5 m/s² A(8). That is 100 HSE exposure points.
Reaching it does not mean you have broken the law. It means you must act. You need to introduce controls to reduce exposure, and you need to provide health surveillance for the employees affected.
The exposure limit value
The daily exposure limit value, or ELV, is 5.0 m/s² A(8). That is 400 HSE exposure points.
This is a ceiling, not a target. Employees must not exceed it.
Why the points system exists
A(8) values are difficult to add together. Points are not. An operator using three different tools across a shift accumulates points from each, and the total is simply the sum.
The important detail is that points do not rise in step with vibration. They rise with the square of it. If the vibration magnitude doubles and the trigger time stays the same, the points quadruple.
This is why small changes matter more than they appear to. A worn disc, a tool overdue for service, or an operator gripping too hard can move a daily dose further than most people expect.
What actually reduces exposure
The order matters. Eliminate the vibrating task where you can. Where you cannot, choose lower vibration equipment for the job, keep it serviced, replace worn consumables, and reduce trigger time through planning and rotation. Training on technique belongs here too, because grip force and working position both change what reaches the hand.
One thing that does not belong on that list is anti vibration gloves. HSE is direct about this. Gloves marketed as anti vibration are not an effective measure against hand arm vibration, and HSE inspection guidance says they should not be accepted as a way of reducing exposure. HSE has also found they can reduce dexterity and increase grip force, which moves exposure in the wrong direction.
Ordinary work gloves are still worth providing. Cold and damp restrict circulation and make HAVS symptoms worse, so keeping hands warm genuinely helps. Just do not record gloves as a vibration control.
Do you have to monitor exposure every day?
No. There is no legal requirement for continuous vibration exposure monitoring, and HSE guidance is clear that monitoring on its own does not control risk.
The duty is to reduce exposure so far as is reasonably practicable. Monitoring is useful because it shows you where exposure is actually occurring, which tools and tasks are driving it, and where controls are working. It supports the decisions. It does not replace them.
What HAVS looks like
Symptoms include tingling and numbness in the fingers, loss of grip strength, and fingers going white before turning red and painful as circulation returns. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also linked to hand arm vibration.
The damage is permanent. Health surveillance exists to catch it early, while exposure can still be reduced for that individual.
Where to read more
The full guidance is published by HSE at hse.gov.uk, and the approved code of practice is L140.