Health and safety law: issue of vibration control
Health and safety law in the UK is far from monolithic. Instead, there are dozens of different pieces of legislation making up a complex framework that can be difficult for the non-expert to navigate without error. Some issues, of course, are rather self-evident. Any worker or manager who has grown up in a normally functioning household would understand the importance of wiping up a water spill at once and making sure that nobody traverses the area involved in the meantime.
Not every issue is equally obvious, however. This can lead to a situation in which a small business owner fully believes that he or she is providing every necessary element for workplace health and safety when this is far from the case. Should a worker suffer an injury, the business owner may face a variety of serious problems including prosecution, fines, and of course, the guilt that may ensue from assuming moral responsibility for causing serious harm to a fellow human being.
Vibration control
One health and safety issue that may not be obvious to the untrained business owner or manager is the need for vibration controls. When employees work with powered equipment, whether such equipment is guided by hand or actually hand-held, excess vibration can cause serious injuries over time. Vibration can also be a concern whenever workers need to sit or stand on powered machines in order to perform their regular duties. Business owners should be concerned with both whole body vibration disorders and hand-arm vibration disorders, called WBV and HAV in the health and safety industry.
Safety laws relating to this issue are part of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, rules created under the authority of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. To gain a proper understanding about securing employees’ health and safety at work as regards vibration issues, business owners and managers are invited to participate in one of the professional training courses offered by Winter & Company. A good place to start is the Introduction to Managing Workplace Health, Safety & Welfare training programme.
