Rotherham Council was fined £60,000 at the end of last year after a road maintenance worker was diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) after over 20 years using road breakers and other vibrating tools for pothole repair. HSE investigators discovered that, despite having been diagnosed with HAVS in 2005, the worker continued to use vibrating tools for a further 14 years, as did other council employees who had been diagnosed with the disease.
Prolonged and frequent use of vibrating tools can damage nerves and circulation, causing pain, reducing muscle strength and making fine tasks difficult. Employers are supposed to limit and monitor exposure, recording the length of time that workers are using equipment that vibrates above a certain frequency.
As an example, using the HSE’s HAVS exposure calculator (link below), we can see that a breaker – typically used for breaking out around a pothole – has a vibration magnitude of between 8 and 18 m/s2. Considering a tool vibrating at 14m/s2, a worker would have reached the exposure limit value (ELV) having used it for 1 hour and 1 minute.
It is difficult to know how many people are suffering from HAVS, sometimes known as vibration white finger. Statistics are collected through the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) scheme which showed that there were 215 new cases of HAVS in 2023. However, the HSE believes that the problem is far more widespread, estimating that nearly 2 million people are at risk.
The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 sets out employers’ duties under the law. It says that risk assessment must be conducted where vibrating equipment is used and that, where risks are high, employers should apply control measures, provide training and conduct health surveillance. Insurers may require organisations to deploy continuous monitoring of the use of vibrating equipment, particularly if there have been claims or prosecutions against that organisation related to HAVS.
We know that for some of our customers, removing the risk of HAVS has been an important factor in the choice of Thermal Road Repairs’ technology. Our system does not require a breaker but instead uses an infrared heater to heat up material in and around a pothole before mixing it with a small amount of new, hot asphalt. A roller is required to compact the repair, but the vibration magnitude of a roller and the time it is used means that it would not reach an exposure action value (EAV), let alone the exposure limit value (ELV).
What the Rotherham prosecution highlights is that there isn’t enough awareness and understanding around HAVS and how the use of vibrating equipment should be monitored and – crucially – controlled and reduced. The HSE is holding a one-day course on HAVS management on 4 March 2025 at its Science and Research Centre in Buxton.
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