Page 28 - OHS, July/August 2021

PPE: HAND PROTECTION
Why Wear Anti-Vibe Gloves?
Sustained use of vibrating machinery can lead to severe cases of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome that can be both debilitating and irreversible.
ABY AARON SKEMP
nybody who’s ever spent a few hours weed eating, pushing a lawnmower around the yard or going for a lengthy bike ride has probably experienced it on some level: tingling and numbness in the hands and arms.
It’s not your imagination. Hand-arm vibration is a real thing. Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome is a genuine affliction that particularly affects workers who regularly operate vibrating machinery as part of their daily work routine. While HAVS can disproportionately have an effect on workers operating heavy machinery, such as jackhammers, even fewer jarring tools such as hand saws, power drills and, yes, lawn mowers, can still contribute to more modest incidents of HAVS.
HAVS is nothing that should be taken lightly, although it’s ad- mittedly disconcerting to have yet another acronym-laden malady to have to stop and consider. While occasional use of vibrating ma- chinery may only cause numbness and tingling for a few minutes or hours, regular, sustained use of such machinery can lead to se- vere cases of HAVS that can be both debilitating and irreversible.
In cases such as sustained jackhammer operation, for example, an individual may suffer a loss of grip strength and decreased dexterity, an increased chance of developing arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and even experience chronic pain.
Extreme vs. Nuisance Vibration
Some of the higher HAVS risk occupations, not surprisingly, include construction, sheet metal work, welding, automotive repair and electrical work. However, even professions in the medical and dental fields carry some risk, due to the prevalence of machinery that produces high frequency vibrations that may not be as profound as a jackhammer—unless you have a particularly sadistic dentist—but sustained use of such machinery can be debilitating nonetheless.
If a job requires the regular use of any machinery that vibrates at all, the potential exists of developing HAVS to some extent or another. It’s estimated that as many as two million or more workers are exposed to some level of workplace vibration of some sort. Of those workers, about half can expect to experience some HAVS symptoms.
Hard to Handle
Because of its slow-to-show, long-term progression, often times HAVS isn’t diagnosed until the damage is done. It’s notoriously difficult to predict from individual to individual. Some people are just more susceptible or attuned to vibrations and are, therefore, more apt to suffer HAVS symptoms, while other “hardier”
24 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2021
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