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of chain saws must be well maintained. Maintenance must include periodic replacement of
shock absorbers. Some pneumatic tool companies manufacture anti-vibration tools such as anti-
vibration pneumatic chipping hammers, pavement breakers and vibration-damped pneumatic
riveting guns

Gloves
Gloves can play an important role in reducing the risks from hand-arm vibration. In cold
conditions gloves will keep the hands warm, helping to maintain good circulation to the fingers.
Gloves may also be necessary, or advisable, for physical protection of the hands. If you wish to
supply gloves to your workers, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate for the tools
and the task so that the wearer finds them comfortable and is able to manipulate the tools and
controls properly without increasing grip or force.
Various gloves with special soft linings intended to provide vibration isolation are commercially
available. These gloves can often reduce high-frequency vibration but have little effect at mid
and low frequencies which are those most likely to damage blood flow in the hand. Anti-
vibration gloves should be assumed not to reduce vibration exposure unless you have test data
that shows otherwise for the combination of glove and tool used. Manufacturers continue to
conduct research to develop better performing materials to reduce vibration at the hazardous
frequencies.

Health Surveillance

The employer must conduct health surveillance for all your employees who, despite your action
to control the risk, are likely to be regularly exposed above the exposure action value or are
considered to be at risk for any other reason.

The purpose of health surveillance is to:

• identify anyone exposed or about to be exposed vibration who may be at particular risk, for
example people with blood circulatory diseases such as Raynaud’s Disease
• identify any vibration-related disease at an early stage in employees regularly exposed to
vibration
• help you prevent disease progression and eventual disability
• help people stay in work
• check the effectiveness of your vibration control measures
Health surveillance outcomes must be notified to the concerned employee, the records must be
kept as part of the regulatory requirements. Review and update risk assessment.

ENSIGN | Unit IG2 – Element 5 – Physical and Psychological 15
Health