Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) doesn't kill anyone on the day. That's exactly why it gets ignored. The damage builds quietly over years of using breakers, grinders, SDS drills and strimmers — until a worker can't feel a screw between their fingers, can't do up a button on a cold morning, or wakes up with pins and needles that never fully go away. By then it's permanent.
HAVS is entirely preventable, and the law has been clear since the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. Yet it remains one of the most common reportable occupational diseases in construction. If you run a site or a trade business and you use powered hand tools, this is a risk you own. Here's what the numbers actually mean and what you should be doing about them.
What HAVS and vibration white finger actually are
HAVS is the umbrella term for damage caused by regular, prolonged exposure to vibration transmitted through the hands and arms. It has two main strands:
- Vascular (vibration white finger): blood vessels in the fingers spasm, fingertips go white, then blue, then painfully red as blood returns. Cold triggers it. Over time it gets worse and more frequent.
- Neurological: numbness, tingling and loss of grip and dexterity. Workers drop things, struggle with small tasks, and lose the sense of touch that keeps them safe.
There's no cure. Once nerve and blood-vessel damage is done, it stays done. The only real tool you have is prevention — which is why the regulations are built around limiting how long someone uses a vibrating tool.
The two numbers that matter: EAV and ELV
The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 set two daily exposure values, both measured over an eight-hour reference period (written as A(8) in m/s²):
- Exposure Action Value (EAV): 2.5 m/s² A(8). Once a worker is likely to be exposed at or above this, you must put a programme of controls in place and provide health surveillance.
- Exposure Limit Value (ELV): 5.0 m/s² A(8). This is the legal ceiling. No worker should be exposed above it on any day, full stop.
The key thing contractors miss: these are daily values that combine the vibration magnitude of the tool with how long it's actually used. A high-vibration breaker can hit the EAV in well under an hour. That's where trigger times come in.
Trigger time — the number that changes how you plan work
"Trigger time" is the time the tool is actually vibrating in the hand — finger on the trigger — not the time the job takes. A worker might be on a wall-chasing task for three hours but only have the grinder running for 40 minutes. It's that 40 minutes that counts.
For every tool, there's a trigger time that reaches the EAV and a (shorter) one that reaches the ELV. HSE's points system makes this manageable: each tool is worth a number of "exposure points" per hour of use. 100 points reaches the EAV; 400 points reaches the ELV. You add up the points across all tools a worker uses in a day.
In practice that means:
- Get the vibration magnitude for each tool (manufacturer data is a starting point, but real in-use figures are usually higher).
- Work out the daily points for the planned trigger time.
- Plan the work so no one goes over — rotating tasks, swapping workers, or capping tool time.
This is exactly the thinking your HAVS risk assessment should capture, and it's why HAVS can't be a tick-box exercise. You're managing time, not just issuing gloves.
Why HAVS controls fail on site (and how to fix it)
We've written before about why HAVS monitoring fails on site — and the pattern is consistent. The assessment exists in a folder, but nobody tracks actual trigger times, nobody acts on early symptoms, and "anti-vibration gloves" are treated as a fix when they do almost nothing.
Here's what actually works:
1. Eliminate or reduce at source. Can the task be done without a vibrating tool? Hire a mechanical breaker on an excavator instead of a hand-held one. Specify low-vibration tools when you buy or hire.
2. Manage trigger time actively. Rotate workers off high-vibration tasks. Build time limits into the method statement, not just the risk assessment.
3. Keep tools maintained. Blunt discs, worn bits and poorly serviced tools vibrate far more. A sharp consumable cuts both the job time and the vibration.
4. Keep workers warm and dry. Cold makes vibration damage worse and masks early symptoms. Gloves keep hands warm — that's their real value here.
5. Health surveillance at or above the EAV. This is a legal requirement, not optional. It catches damage early so you can act before it becomes permanent.
6. Train and brief. Workers need to recognise symptoms and report them early. A HAVS toolbox talk is a quick way to get the message onto the tools.
HAVS also connects to the wider noise and vibration picture — many of the same tools are loud, so it's worth reading alongside our noise at work assessment guide.
Who needs to worry about this?
If your workers regularly use any of these, HAVS is in scope:
- Breakers, jackhammers and demolition tools
- Angle grinders and cut-off saws
- SDS and percussive drills
- Needle guns, scabblers and chipping hammers
- Strimmers, hedge cutters and powered rammers
- Impact wrenches and sanders
Groundworkers, demolition crews, roadworkers and M&E contractors chasing walls are all high-risk. If that's you, the Groundworker Risk Assessment Pack bundles the HAVS and related assessments you'll need.
HAVS FAQ
Do anti-vibration gloves reduce my exposure?
Not in any way you can rely on for the calculation. Most gloves don't meaningfully reduce the frequencies that cause HAVS, and you can't deduct a "glove reduction" from your exposure figures. Their real benefit is keeping hands warm, which matters. Manage trigger time instead.
Can I just use the manufacturer's vibration figures?
As a starting point, yes — but real in-use vibration is usually higher than the test-bench figure, especially with worn tools or hard materials. HSE advises applying a margin. Where exposure is near the limits, get representative in-use data.
When is health surveillance legally required?
When workers are likely to be exposed at or above the EAV (2.5 m/s² A(8)), or are otherwise at risk. It needs to be appropriate, ongoing, and acted on — early symptoms must trigger a review of the work.
Is HAVS reportable under RIDDOR?
Yes. A diagnosis of HAVS in a worker whose job involves regular exposure to vibration is reportable as an occupational disease. Keep your investigation records in order.
How do I prove I'm managing it?
A suitable and sufficient risk assessment with trigger-time calculations, evidence of tool selection and maintenance, trigger-time monitoring, health surveillance records and toolbox talks. That paper trail is what an HSE inspector asks for.
Get your HAVS paperwork sorted
HAVS is a long game, and the documents are what hold the controls together between jobs. Start with a task-specific HAVS risk assessment from the risk assessment library, add the vibration toolbox talk to brief the crew, or grab everything you need for the trade in the Groundworker Risk Assessment Pack. If you want the lot — every risk assessment, monitoring form and talk under one roof — SafetyPod Membership gives you unlimited access for £69/year. Templates support competent people; the decisions about trigger times and controls are still yours to make.