HAVi

HAVi is the market leader in assuring compliance with Hand Arm Vibration legislation. We leverage cutting edge insight driven analytics with pragmatic hardware solutions to offer our clients total peace of mind when managing HAV risk.

Penalties for non compliance are steep and they are on the rise. Recent high profile cases, particularly in the public sector, have prompted quick and direct action from those involved in managing risk in this sector. We are seeing QHSE teams, already under huge budget and resource pressure, now working hard to get their own houses in order before a visit from the HSE or a civil prosecutor.

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVs) is a permanently debilitating condition that wrecks the lives of over 2 million people in the UK alone with many many more at risk. We are at the forefront of helping organisations understand their requirements under law and doing the right thing to protect their workers.

Our purpose is simple; to Define and Assure Compliance! This is achieved with a unique structured 4 phase approach aligned completely with the legislative requirements and the HSE guidance…

1) Audit & Recommendations: We will review your current level of compliance and provide straight talking advice on any corrective actions needed.

2) Measurement & Monitoring: Our experts will measure the vibration magnitude of your tools to the mandated standards (BS EN ISO 5349-2 and BS EN ISO 8041) and will also implement the latest effortless exposure monitoring hardware where high risk workers, tools or tasks have been identified.

3) Insight & Action: Our ActivIQ solution with the unique HAVs Risk IndexTM will help you see beyond the data and focus your finite resources on solving the problems that really matter.

4) Education & Engagement:  Utilising innovation in hybrid learning technologies, we will equip your teams with the confidence to be advocates of best practice risk management ensuring your organisations continuous improvement.

We have more than 2 decades of experience in helping organisations like yours manage their risk of exposure to vibration. With a client portfolio of blue chip and SME companies operating in both the public and private sectors, you can be certain that engaging HAVi will be a good fit. HAVi: Compliance Assured.

Case Study: The cost of non-compliance (and how to avoid it)

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) levied a huge fine on a metropolitan borough in December 2024 for failing to manage Hand Arm Vibration risk. Here’s what they found..

HSE: “The employee had been subject to regular health surveillance whilst employed by the Council, which had included recommendations on limiting exposure. However despite the report of April 2019, little action was taken to address the issues identified”

SOLUTION: Once you have an employee with a diagnosis of Hand Arm Vibration, it is critical that action is taken to reduce/limit that individual’s exposure to prevent them from further harm. Typically, this would involve the implementation of control measures, such as job rotation with colleagues and/or the selection of tools with a lower vibration magnitudes. Your data should be used as the basis for these control measures.

HSE: “While a system of Occupational Health surveillance was in place, it was inadequate as there was either no implementation, or inconsistent implementation, of the recommendations and actions to be taken”

SOLUTION: Your HAV Management system should ‘flag up’ any actions that were not taken to reduce exposures in line with Occupational Health guidance. At the same time, your system should report to you any reductions in tool operator exposure by the actions implemented. Operator engagement with HAV Risk is key, a clear consistent message that informs them of the potential permanent disability is important.

HSE: “the data used to calculate the vibration exposure grossly underestimated the vibration magnitude of the tools in use, and also relied upon accurate times being entered by staff”

SOLUTION: In use tool accredited vibration magnitudes are available from online data bases. Alternatively, tools can be measured on site by a competent person using equipment that has manufactured in accordance with BS EN ISO 8041 and used in compliance with BS EN ISO 5349. Often, Manufacturers declared vibration magnitudes do not reflect the ‘in use’ vibration magnitudes and as such fail to reach the levels of accuracy demanded by the HSE. Accurate Trigger time data capture can be difficult to achieve due to intermittent tool usage. Asking the employee to estimate their usage will never give you an accuracy! A time/motion study with a stop watch is an alternative, but this will prove to be inefficient and time consuming. Utilisation of a trigger time recording system is a prudent, low cost investment to gather this data accurately.

HSE: “Workers were incentivised to continue using vibrating tools through a bonus scheme and overtime work which inevitably led to high levels of exposure. Workers were allowed to work up to the recommended Exposure Limit value (ELV)

SOLUTION: Whilst the HSE guidelines declare an Exposure Limit Value (ELV) of 400pts and an Exposure Action Value (EAV) of 100pts, these are not targets!! It is your duty to reduce risk to as low as reasonably practicable. Your Suitable & Sufficient Risk Assessment will identify the high risk tasks, tools or individuals. Use the data collected to take appropriate corrective actions. Training your workers and supervisors on why the management of HAV is important, highlighting the life altering health risks that HAVS causes.

Contact

Kate Louise Cole (Managing Director)