On 14 April 2025, Stonewater Limited, a social housing provider, was fined £140,000 following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution. The company had failed to control employee exposure to hand-arm vibration, resulting in two workers being diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
HAVS is a debilitating condition caused by prolonged use of vibrating tools such as those used in this case which included strimmer’s, hedge cutters and lawn mowers. It damages nerves, blood vessels and joints, often irreversibly. One of the affected individuals now struggles with basic daily activities and can no longer safely hold his grandchildren.
The investigation revealed significant shortcomings in vibration risk management:
- No vibration risk assessments were carried out
- Exposure levels were not monitored or recorded
- No training or instruction on vibration risks was provided
- Health surveillance procedures were not in place
Ensuring HAVS risks are assessed, managed, and monitored isn’t a box-ticking exercise. It’s a fundamental part of protecting your team.
CoMech can help with this area; with our IOSH certified expert HAV assessors able to perform site visits to assess tools when in use by your team and within the usual workplace setting. Our assessors will test and analyse your power tools that employees are using during their working day and provide you with a report supplying recommended daily use for all assessed tools. We use a simple red, amber and green tagging system, so workers will easily know the vibration status of each tool and the recommended usage time.
If you would like to explore monitoring options we have partners who have developed tech that is easy to use and cost effective to implement.
Vibration monitoring services are designed to help employers stay compliant with HSE regulations and safeguard their workforce. We work with clients to:
- Quantify exposure levels accurately
- Build tailored vibration control plans
- Establish clear health surveillance frameworks
- Provide training and reporting tools that empower workers and managers alike
If your business uses power tools or vibrating machinery, it’s time to ask: Are we doing enough to protect our people? If you aren’t you can be sure that if you have any white finger incidents within your workforce the HSE will investigate and probably prosecute.
Get in touch today to discuss how CoMech can support your compliance for HAVS.