Page 31 - OHS, July/August 2021

dexterity, an increased chance of developing arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and even experience chronic pain.
From a business perspective, conducting these kinds of vibration intensity audits, just make good financial sense. Even minor, or “nuisance,” workplace vibration can adversely affect worker productivity. For workers who need to conduct minute operations, such as intricate repair work and similar projects, even minor HAVS symptoms such as numbness and tingling can be annoying at best and debilitating at worst. The bottom line is worker discomfort and negatively impacted productivity.
Obviously, the best preventative measure is to limit your exposure to regular, sustained operation of vibrating machinery and tools. If you’re in a profession where that’s not possible, you should take care to ensure you’re at least using the tools and machinery correctly.
For example, there are literally dozens of incorrect ways to use a jackhammer. Even making minor adjustments to how you operate tools and machinery can make an incredible difference to the amount of vibration you experience. Pay attention to how veteran operators work and learn accordingly. Also, it doesn’t hurt to read up on the instruction manuals.
Do Anti-Vibration Gloves Work?
Although wearing gloves may seem like a common-sense preventive measure, choosing the right kind of gloves can make
a significant difference. In addition to keeping the hands warm, there are also anti-vibration gloves available on the market.
Though they’re not a cure-all, finding the right-hand protection is one in a list of best practices that safety experts recommend for reducing long-term damage. It must be noted, however, that just because a glove claims anti-vibration properties doesn’t mean they have actually been third-party tested to meet the requirements of ISO 10819 // ANSI S2.73—the global standard for anti-vibration gloves.
ANSI/ISO Standard Anti-vibration Gloves Require:
■ Full-fingered design
■ Uninterrupted palm pad from base to fingertips
■ Padding ≤ 8mm thick in the palm and ≥ 0.55 times the
palm padding thickness in the fingers and thumb
■ Reduction of “medium range frequencies” (TM) by ≥ 10%
vs. bare hand
■ Reduction of “high range frequencies” (TH) by ≥ 40% vs.
bare hand
Again, no amount of prevention and common sense can stamp
out equipment vibration entirely. Some tools and equipment are just necessarily constructed to vibrate, so it’s important to observe whatever measures we do have, including wearing the proper hand protection.
Aaron Skemp is the Product Director for Ergodyne.
Circle 10 on card.
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