Vibration

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Legislation is an important driver for health and safety, and sets out the key priority areas for industry to work on. Changes are expected with regard to legislation that directly impacts upon the construction industry.

Driven partly by Europe and partly by the Health and Safety Commission's desire to make some existing legislation more effective, several new sets of regulations and a Regulatory Reform Order will be introduced during 2005 and 2006. Use the dropdown for more information on legislation.

For further information on legislation and how it affects you and your business, contact the Health and Safety Executive.


		Vibration

		New legislation will be introduced in July 2005, seeking to protect the occupational health of users of equipment that cause hand/arm vibration (HAV). This will include many of the rotating and percussive hand-tools used in the construction industry. Hand arm vibration is a widespread industrial disease that is a particular problem in the construction industry. The new regulations will set; an ‘Exposure Action Value’ which, if reached, will force an employer to act to prevent vibration-induced ill health in those employees who use equipment that cause HAV an ‘Exposure Limit Value’ which is the maximum level of HAV to which anyone may exposed. Measurement of both of the above values will be based upon an 8 hour vibration ‘dose’.