# HAVS (Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome), the damage you can't undo
HAVS is basically your hands and arms getting wrecked by vibration, and once the damage is done you can't undo it, you can only stop it getting worse. The game is spotting it early, keeping your exposure under the legal limits, and using the law and the benefits system if work has already cost you your grip.
Quick rule of thumb: if your fingers go white in the cold, or you have regular numbness and tingling, that's not just "getting older": that's a warning, and the law says your employer should have been tracking your exposure and rotating you off the tools.
1. What HAVS is and what it feels like
Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome covers damage to nerves, blood vessels and joints from years of using vibrating tools. It includes:
Vibration white finger
- Fingers going white or very pale in the cold or when using tools, then turning blue/red and painful as blood comes back.
- Attacks can last minutes to hours.
Nerve damage
- Numbness, tingling ("pins and needles"), loss of feeling in fingers.
- Struggling with fine work (screws, small fittings, phone screens) and dropping things.
Loss of grip and strength
- Weak grip, difficulty holding tools, jars, steering wheel.
Carpal tunnel and joint issues
- Pain, stiffness, reduced movement in wrists and hands.
HSE is blunt: damage from hand-arm vibration is permanent and disabling, and can stop you doing your trade or even basic daily tasks.
2. Legal exposure limits, what those numbers actually mean
The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 set two key daily exposure levels, expressed as A(8), the average over an 8-hour day:
| Level | A(8) value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure Action Value (EAV) | 2.5 m/s² | Hit this and your employer must take action to reduce exposure, it is NOT a "safe level" |
| Exposure Limit Value (ELV) | 5 m/s² | Absolute legal limit, daily exposure must not exceed this; employer must reduce immediately if it does |
How A(8) works in practice
It combines vibration level of the tool (m/s²) with trigger time (how long you're actually on the trigger) over the shift. Tools with higher vibration hit the limits much faster.
Example from guidance: a tool at 5.5 m/s² used for 1 hour gives A(8) of about 1.9 m/s², under the EAV, but still something to watch. If you mix multiple high-vibration tools in a day, the partial doses add up.
HSE provides a free HAV exposure calculator with typical vibration values for common tools (breakers, grinders, etc.) so employers can estimate and record exposures properly.
3. Employer duties, what they should be doing
Under the Vibration Regs plus the Health and Safety at Work Act, your employer must:
Assess vibration risk
- Identify who uses vibrating tools, what tools, and for how long.
- Estimate exposures using manufacturers' data, HSE's tool database and/or actual measurements.
Control exposure (especially when near or above the EAV)
- Eliminate or reduce vibration where possible: choose lower-vibration tools (for example, breakers with anti-vibration handles), alternative methods (for example, machine cutting instead of hand grinding).
- Limit trigger time · job rotation, planning, breaks away from tools.
- Maintain tools properly · worn tools usually vibrate more.
- Provide warm, dry PPE and gloves (for warmth, not as the control measure) to reduce the impact of cold on circulation.
Provide information and training
Tell workers about the risks, the symptoms to look out for, and how to use tools to minimise exposure (correct grip, no forcing blunt tools, etc.).
Set up health surveillance
For workers at or above the EAV, employers should arrange regular health checks (questionnaires and medical examinations) to pick up early HAVS signs.
Construction Safety guidance and HSE's L140 both stress that the EAV is not a safe level, employers should aim lower wherever practicable.
If your gang is on breakers and grinders all day with no rotation, no tracking and no checks, they're not managing the risk properly.
4. Tools that hammer you fastest
Vibration levels vary a lot. HSE and industry guidance flag the usual suspects:
- Concrete breakers and jackhammers · big vibration, especially older or cheap models.
- Angle grinders and cut-off saws · both for cutting and grinding.
- Hammer drills and rotary hammers · particularly in hammer mode on hard materials.
- Compactors / whacker plates / trench rammers.
- Impact wrenches, scabblers, needle guns and some sanders.
The HSE calculator has typical values so you can see how quickly each tool eats up your daily "allowance".
Lower-vibration designs (handle suspension, anti-vibration mounts) are available for many of these, part of the employer's duty is choosing better kit, not just telling you to "toughen up".
5. If you already have symptoms, what to do
If you're getting white fingers, regular tingling or numbness:
- Tell your supervisor / employer in writing that you're having symptoms that might be HAVS. That should trigger proper health surveillance.
- See your GP and say explicitly you think it's linked to vibration at work. Ask for referral to occupational health or a specialist service for assessment and staging.
- Reduce your exposure as much as possible · ask to be moved onto lower-vibration tasks or rotated more, especially in cold conditions.
- Keep your hands warm, avoid smoking (it affects circulation), and protect your hands from the cold and wet.
Treatment focuses on stopping further damage and managing symptoms, it can't reverse nerve and blood-vessel damage.
6. Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) for HAVS (PD A11)
HAVS (vibration white finger and related conditions) is a prescribed disease: A11, under the Industrial Injuries scheme. That means if you've developed it through qualifying work, you may get IIDB from DWP.
Key points:
- You must have been employed in prescribed occupations with regular exposure to hand-held vibrating tools · including many construction roles (for example, groundworkers, roadworkers, demolition, engineering construction).
- You claim using form BI100PD, by phone or post. The DWP IIDB helpline (0800 121 8379) can send the form and answer questions.
- DWP then arranges a medical assessment with an approved doctor, who confirms the diagnosis, assesses which fingers/hands are affected and how badly, and assigns a percentage disablement rating based on set tables for PD A11.
Payment
- You usually need at least 14% disablement to get a weekly benefit.
- The amount depends on that percentage and your age.
Tip for new starters Welfare rights specialists strongly recommend getting advice from a benefits adviser with IIDB experience before and during the claim, they can help gather work history evidence and medical letters, and support you on appeal if needed.
What to do next
- If your fingers go white or numb regularly, tell your employer in writing this week and book a GP appointment · don't wait for it to get worse.
- If you use breakers, grinders, hammers or compactors daily, ask your employer what your A(8) exposure is and whether they're tracking it · if they look blank, that's your answer.
- If you've already been diagnosed, look into IIDB claim (PD A11) via the DWP helpline (0800 121 8379) · you may be entitled to a weekly benefit.
- If you're an employer, download HSE's free HAV exposure calculator and start logging exposures · it's a legal requirement, not an optional extra.
Sources
- Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 · legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1093/contents · EAV (2.5 m/s²), ELV (5 m/s²), employer duties on assessment, control and health surveillance.
- HSE L140 guidance · Hand-arm vibration: the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005.
- HSE HAV exposure calculator · free tool with typical vibration values for common construction tools.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents · general employer duty of care.
- Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) Regulations 1985 · HAVS as prescribed disease A11.
- DWP IIDB guidance · claim process, medical assessment, percentage disablement rating.
- HSE construction safety guidance · vibration risk management on construction sites.
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