Make sure to avoid the bumpiest surfaces when operating the vehicle or mobile machine. Also minimise exposure to high ergonomic loads, such as heavy manual lifting and the employee sitting in the same work posture for long periods of time.

Adjust the driver's seat to the driver's weight so that the vibration damping works properly. Also keep in mind that the driver's cab should have good ergonomics, and follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

Tip! By planning your route and avoiding the worst parts of the surface, you can significantly reduce jerking,jolting and bumps. You can also establish a procedure to regularly level the surface and limit driving speed, especially when the machine or vehicle is being driven without a load.

Questions to ask in the investigation

Here are examples of questions you can ask to investigate working conditions:

• Are vehicles and mobile machinery being driven on uneven surfaces, for example over bumps or off-road?
• Are vehicles driven or vibrating machines used daily and for most of the day
• Are vehicles and mobile machinery being driven on surfaces for which they are not intended?
• Is the roadway poorly maintained?
• Are there repetitive shocks (or jolts)?
• Are there poor work postures or manual handling?
• Is the correct weight set so that the seat cushioning works properly?
• Does the manufacturer or supplier of the work equipment warn about whole-body vibration?
• Have employees reported problems with their lower back or other parts of their body?
• Can the tasks be performed in a different way, so that the ergonomics are better and the work posture is more favourable?

You shall use the results of the investigation when calculating the value of the total vibration exposure for each individual employee (or group of employees who have the same job) who is exposed to whole-body vibration.

This leads you to step 2, assessing the risks of vibration.

The magnitude of the vibration has a greater impact on people than the exposure time. You should therefore choose hand-held machinery with built-in vibration damping or insulated handles when buying new ones or when replacing your old ones.

Always follow the manufacturer's recommendations regarding intended use, accessories and service intervals. It may be more expensive, if even possible, to have to redesign the machine or reorganise the work later on.

Chiselling into concrete floors is an example of risky work with both high vibration and long exposure times. If possible, you should use remote-controlled chiselling robots or similar devices. Another option is to replace chiselling with sawing and drilling. The best thing to do is to limit the work that involves unnecessary exposure to vibration. Make sure to draw up accurate drawings for drilling when planning building and civil engineering work.

Questions to ask in the investigation

Here are examples of questions you can ask to investigate working conditions:

• Are rotary hand-held machines or tools being used?
• Are hand-held machines or tools with a hammer action being used?
• Does the manufacturer or supplier warn about vibration risks from hand-held machines or tools?
• Is the work equipment used according to the manufacturer's recommendations?
• Has any employee reported symptoms of discomfort in the hands, such as tingling or numbness after use?
• Is there any better work equipment that gives lower vibration exposure?
• Can the tasks be performed in a different way, so that the ergonomics are better and the work posture is more favourable.

Use the results of the investigation when calculating the value of the total vibration exposure for each individual employee (or group of employees who have the same job) who is exposed to hand-arm vibration.

This leads you to step 2, assessing the risks of vibration.

1. Remove or minimise the source

• As a driver, can you perform the work safely and efficiently without using vehicles or mobile machinery?
• Can you change your route to avoid pits or bumps?
• Can you avoid driving for too long with the engine idling?
• Do you adjust your speed to the surface? A poorer surface requires you to reduce your speed to minimise the effect of bumps on the risk of injury.

Follow the instructions provided for the work equipment.

2. Evaluate the ergonomics

• Does the work equipment have an ergonomically designed driver's cab, good displays and controls and cushioned seats that can be adjusted to the driver's weight?
• Are the tyres the right type and the pressure adjusted for the terrain or surface the work equipment will be operating on?
• As a driver, can you work in a good working position?

3. Review the organisation of the work:

• Have you informed everyone about the risks of vibration from work equipment?
• Do you need to introduce more breaks or rest periods outside the machine or vehicle?
• As an employer, have you offered work clothes that protect the driver from moisture and cold?

There is workwear that is CE-marked against cold and rain.

1. Remove or minimise the source

• As an operator, can you perform the work safely and efficiently without using hand-held machinery?
• Can you replace a harmful machine with a less harmful one?
• Can you avoid shocks or impacts from the workpiece?

Follow the instructions provided for the work equipment.

2. Evaluate the ergonomics

• Does the work equipment have ergonomically designed handles, good grip surfaces and low weight?
• As an operator, can you work in a good working position?

3. Review the organisation of the work

• Have you informed everyone about the risks of vibrating work equipment?
• Do you need to introduce work rotation, more breaks or rest periods?
• As an employer, have you offered work clothes that protect the operator from moisture and cold? The risk of vibration injuries can be reduced by keeping your hands warm and dry. Remember that machines driven by compressed air get cold at maximum power and blow cold air towards the body.

There is workwear that is CE-marked against cold and rain.

4. Consider personal protective equipment

So-called vibration gloves, which are CE marked, meet the specification in the standard stated in the product's instructions for use. According to the requirements of the standard, the vibration damping only applies to the palm of the hand. In many work situations, vibration is also transmitted to the fingers and can damage both nerves and blood vessels. The gloves do not dampen vibration with frequencies below 150 Hz, which corresponds to speeds below 9,000 revolutions per minute or 9,000 strokes per minute.

It is important that you investigate what speed or stroke rate your hand-held machines have when they are used the most, in operation mode, on load, or in idling mode, without load. Read the gloves' instructions carefully to determine whether they can dampen vibration or not.

The “Zero Vibration Injuries” project

A good example of attacking the problem "at the source", in the machines themselvs, is described in the RISE project "Zero Vibration Damage".

The goal of the project is to reduce or completely eliminate vibration injury by developing low-vibration hand-held machinry using newly developed patented technology and better use of existing knowledge.

Existing machines, such as chisel hammers and nut runners, have been redesigned to demonstrate that it is possible to significantly reduce vibration levels from these types of machinry.

The film "Machines don't have to vibrate and harm people", YouTube