Notice to Readers
Availability of NIOSH Criteria Documenton Hand-Arm
Vibration Syndrome
In September 1989, CDC's National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) published Criteria for a Recommended
Standard: Occupational Exposure to Hand-Arm Vibration* (1). This
document examines the occupational health problems associated
with use of vibrating tools (including both hand-held vibrating
tools and stationary tools that transmit vibration through a
workpiece) and provides criteria for reducing the risk for
developing vibration-induced health problems.
The major health problems associated with the use of vibrating
tools are peripheral vascular and peripheral neural disorders of
the fingers and hands. The signs and symptoms of these disorders
include numbness, pain, and blanching of the fingers. The
constellation of vibration-induced signs and symptoms is referred
to as hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) (sometimes called
Raynaud's phenomenon of occupational origin or vibration white
finger disease).
In the United States, an estimated 1.5 million workers use
vibrating tools. The prevalence of HAVS in worker populations
that have used vibrating tools has ranged from 6% to 100% (1).
Development of HAVS depends on many factors, including the level
of acceleration (vibration energy) produced by the tool, the
length of time the tool is used each day, the cumulative number
of months or years the worker has used the tool, and the
ergonomics of tool use. The tools most commonly associated with
HAVS are powered hammers, chisels, chain saws, sanders, grinders,
riveters, breakers, drills, compactors, sharpeners, and shapers.
HAVS is a chronic, progressive disorder with a latency period
that can vary from a few months to several years. The early
stages of HAVS are usually reversible if further exposure to
vibration is reduced or eliminated. However, for advanced stages,
treatment is usually ineffective, and the disorder can progress
to loss of effective hand function and necrosis of the fingers.
Therefore, prevention is critical. Adherence to the control
measures and medical monitoring practices recommended in this
document should prevent or greatly reduce the potential for
vibration-exposed workers to develop HAVS.
Reported by: Div of Standards Development and Technology
Transfer, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
CDC.
Reference
CDC. Criteria for a recommended standard: occupational
exposure to hand-arm vibration. Cincinnati, Ohio: US Department
of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 1989; DHHS
publication no. (NIOSH)89-106.
*Single copies of this document can be obtained without charge
from the Information Dissemination Section, Division of Standards
Development and Technology Transfer, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, CDC, 4676 Columbia Parkway,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226; telephone: (513) 533-8287.
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