HAVS Monitor – Real-Time Hand-Arm Vibration Tracking

HAVS monitoring – stay compliant and monitor vibration-related risks

Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is a major concern from exposure to vibration. Commonly manifesting as vibration white finger or carpal tunnel syndrome, HAVS is caused by the transfer of vibration through a workers hands and arms. In as little as 6 months nerve damage and restricted blood flow to the hand and fingers can occur, this causes the debilitating symptoms and effects known as Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome.

There is no cure for this serious condition. It puts your workforce at risk for longevity, and presents a significant legal risk for the employer or contractor.

Employers have an obligation to control vibration exposure in the workplace and employers who do not ensure safe standards are open to possible litigation. By using HAVSense to monitor and record hand-arm vibration exposure from using power tools you can accurately measure exactly how much vibration an individual operator has experienced.

HAVSense – HAVS Monitoring System

It is imperative to limit operators’ exposure to harmful levels of hand-arm vibration in the workplace. Employers must have the means to manage this exposure and comply with legislation. The UK and EU enforce legislation that requires employers to monitor the vibration dosage individual operators receive. With HAVSense, operators can avoid dangerous exposure, while employers are able to comply with the law and reduce the risk of potential litigation. HAVSense is an incredibly accurate tool that brings a host of additional benefits to your HAVS monitoring process.

The discreet and ergonomic dosimeters are able to monitor 3 orthogonal axes using 3 in-built sensors to sample the exact amount of vibration that occurs during a working day, tool-by-tool and operator-by-operator. Once docked, this information is stored and can be analysed further. This can help with planning to determine job and shift rotations, indicate improper or inefficient use of tools, or even identify tools that may be faulty and causing higher vibration than manufacturer specifications.

Enquire about HAVS Monitoring Solutions

Learn about the Dosimeters

Learn about the Docking Station

HAVSense HAVS Monitoring Software Running on a Laptop - cutout

Learn about the Software

Dosimeters

HAVSense HAVS Dosimeter Sensor

What Are Dosimeters?

HAV Dosimeters are the truly unique component of the HAVSense System, completely self-contained, they record the entire vibration dosage imparted on the hands and fingers. They have been ergonomically designed to fit comfortably between the fingers under or over a glove, require no wires or connections and automatically transfer their entire vibration record to your computer system when returned to the docking system at the end of a shift.

Dosimeter shown on Fingers - straight fingers

How They Work

The HAV dosimeters have been ergonomically developed to sit seamlessly between the fingers whether beneath or above a glove. Careful design ensures our dosimeters don’t hinder movement or use of the hand, while still being right where the vibration occurs.

Thousands of times a second, the dosimeter filters and processes the signal from three sensors, positioned in the three axes. Every second, HSE points are automatically calculated and recorded by the dosimeter. Should the operator exceed either the action limit or the legal limit of HSE points the dosimeter will issue a visual alarm, indicating to the operator they must stop their exposure.

At the end of a shift, the dosimeter is simply placed back into the docking station which will transfer the vibration record to a PC ready for review and charge the dosimeter ready for the next allocation to a user.

HAVS Monitoring Dosimeter Sensor Wireframe

Why Dosimeters Are The Solution?

HAVSense dosimeters measure and record the vibration actually received by the operator. This makes circumstances irrelevant, the exact vibration dosage will be recorded accurately, monitoring real-world vibration exposure to operators and meaning employers comply with legislation. Find out more about HAV dosimeters monitoring.

Other systems that aim to monitor vibration exposure work by timing the period an operator uses a certain tool. Unfortunately, this method is intrinsically flawed because; it means operators must remember to start and stop timing and the vibration an operator receives changes drastically depending a wide range of factors.

Factors that make simply timing unsuitable

Vibration levels can vary significantly from manufacturer guidelines when all of these factors are considered –

Where the tool is held
How tightly the tool is held
Wearing various types of gloves
Not wearing gloves
The various materials the tool is used on
Varying levels of vibration throughout use
Wear and condition of the tool
Stance of operator

Technical Specification

Dimensions

Height	45 mm
Width	24 mm
Depth	37 mm
Weight	23 g

Measurement

Sensors	3 sensors along 3 orthogonal axes
Range (RMS)	0.18 to 180ms-2 (Overload clips peak at 254ms-2 without hysteresis or lag)
Range (Freq.)	5Hz – 1.6KHz
Data Recording	Sampled once per second (sum or x,y and z axes plus overload)
Hand-arm freq. weighting	Wh as defined by ISO 8041
Results	Daily vibration exposure A(8) or Ahwx, Ahwy, Ahwz, HSE exposure points, overload per cent time.

Operation

User Identification	Assigned when collected from dock
Warnings
Normal Operation Action Level Limit Level	1 flash every 4sec 1 flash every 1sec 4 flashes per 1sec
Battery Life	Minimum 12 hrs full charge
Charge time	3.5 hrs (typical)
Temperature Range	-10 – 40C (Operating) 0 – 40C (Charging)

Standards

Standards Compliance	ISO 8041:2005
Electrical Safety	IEC 61326-1:2005: Electrical equipment for measurement control and laboratory use IEC 61010-1:2001: Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement control and laboratory use

Docking Station

HAVSense Dock for Hand-Arm Vibration Sensors

HAVSense Hand-Arm Vibration Sensor Dock Schematic

What Is The Dock?

The HAVSense docking station provides all the facilities required for using dosimeters to monitor hand-arm vibration. In conjunction with the HAVSense software the dock charges and arms the dosimeters, which can then be issued to specific individuals. When dosimeters are returned to the dock at the end of a shift, the dock downloads the entire vibration record to PC to maintain a log of exposure.

How It Works

The dock has five ports that accept the HAVSense dosimeters. When connected the dosimeters automatically begin charging and if the docking station is connected to a PC running the HAVSense software the vibration record will be automatically downloaded and stored. When an operator starts their shift, they simply enter their unique PIN and the dock will assign a dosimeter with sufficient charge for a full shift, indicated by a flashing LED. When docked a dosimeter will also be checked by the docking station to ensure it is working correctly before being issued to the next operator.

Docking Station Features:

5 ports for charging, arming and issuing dosimeters
Full charge in as little as 3.5 hours
Individual PINs to identify operators
USB transfer to PC for analysis and storage of data
Monitoring of dosimeter status to ensure they are in working order
Automatic issue of a sufficiently charged dosimeter ready for a full shift