Wearable technology for monitoring hand arm vibration (HAV) has been independently validated by the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM).
HAVwear, a device worn on the wrist that determines in real time an individual’s exposure to vibration when using power tools, was developed by Reactec, a specialist provider of HAV monitoring devices.
The study by the IOM concluded that vibration data gathered by the HAVwear system during every day tool use “provides a useful source of information to inform a suitable and sufficient risk assessment”, according to Reactec.
Other findings from the IMO research, Reactec reports, include that the technology:
- helps with “development of risk reduction control measures”;
- determines vibration magnitude data from the vibration transmitted to the person and not “on the tool”, in accordance with the existing standard BS EN ISO 5349-1: 2001; and
- provides information comparable to that produced by conventional tool measurement techniques;
HAVwear is supported by a platform that provides cloud-based reporting, allowing dynamic risk assessment and exposure reduction. Construction companies Reactec has supplied the technology to include Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Murphy Group.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, 300,000 people in the UK suffer from HAVS (hand arm vibration syndrome) with a further two million at risk.
Jacqui McLaughlin, chief executive of Reactec, said: “Our HAVwear system and the data it produces has been validated by the IOM as providing credible risk assessment while being practical for assessing risk on an everyday basis.
“These findings are significant as employers can confidently use HAVwear to determine real-time vibration exposure which will ultimately help them reduce the risk of their workforce being exposed to HAV and developing the incurable HAVS condition.
“Employers are required to risk assess HAV exposure but doing so is made difficult by a need to establish the vibration magnitude of the tool in the process. The standards developed to measure tools exist but are intrusive and not practical to everyday use. This means that assessments are traditionally made with some sort of one-off, potentially inappropriate data.”
Shelia Groat, head of health and safety services at the IOM, said: “In the study commissioned by Reactec, IOM found that the data collected by the HAVwear system, during real use, is comparable to the range of vibration magnitudes achieved by conventional measurement devices.
“When gathered on a regular basis the HAVwear information can be used to identify risks to vibration exposure trends. As one of the most common industrial diseases in the UK, developing innovative measuring devices to assess occupational exposure is a significant move in the ongoing prevention of HAVS.”
