HAND-ARM AND WHOLE-BODY VIBRATION MONITORING
Vibration monitoring shows whether employees who use hand-held power tools or drive mobile plant reach the legal action level or limit for vibration. Hand-arm vibration comes from tools such as grinders, drills and breakers. Whole-body vibration reaches drivers and operators through the seat or floor.
This hand-arm and whole-body vibration survey measures what reaches employees. It is not condition monitoring of machines. We measure the vibration for each tool, vehicle and task. We then combine the readings with exposure times to work out each employee's 8-hour exposure. The results are compared with the limits in the Physical Agents Regulations, 2024.
WHY VIBRATION EXPOSURE MATTERS
Hand-arm vibration can cause hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), including “white finger”, as well as nerve damage, reduced grip strength and loss of dexterity. Vibration exposure can also cause musculoskeletal disorders, including back, neck and shoulder pain, along with fatigue and lower work performance.
How severe the effects are depends on the vibration magnitude and on how long and how often people are exposed. The legal limits are 8-hour time-weighted averages. For the business, the cost is long-term occupational injury, a higher accident risk and lost productivity.
Hand-arm and whole-body vibration fall under the Physical Agents Regulations, 2024, made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (OHS Act). The assessment and testing duties are:
• Risk assessment (regulation 6): a competent person must assess exposure to physical agents before it starts, then at least every 24 months. The assessment covers vibration, heat, cold, lighting, indoor air quality and non-ionising radiation.
• Vibration survey (regulations 7 and 13): hand-arm and whole-body, by a competent person where the risk assessment shows exposure may reach a limit, at the interval it sets and at least every 24 months.
• Controls (regulation 17): vibration isolation and other physical agent controls must be inspected and tested by a competent person at least every 24 months.
None of this needs an approved inspection authority. Whole-body vibration also matters for noise. Above the 0,5 m/s² action level, it lowers the noise monitoring trigger from 85 dBA to 82 dBA (Noise Exposure Regulations, 2024, regulation 8). Our free online Compliance Gap Assessment shows which assessments your workplace needs and which are overdue.
WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES FOR VIBRATION
HOW WE CONDUCT VIBRATION MONITORING
Christo de Wet leads every vibration survey. He is an occupational hygienist registered with the Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH), ROH 0953, with 15 years of experience.
Before the visit, we ask for a list of your hand-held power tools and mobile plant, who uses them and for how long. We plan hand-arm readings for the coldest period of the shift, in the quarter of the year your risk assessment identifies as the coldest.
On site, we measure each tool, vehicle and task with calibrated instruments while work runs normally. We follow SANS 2631 for whole-body vibration and SANS 5349 for hand-arm vibration, as well as the measurement rules in regulation 13. We then combine the readings with exposure times to give each employee's 8-hour exposure.
We also work on mines and quarries, on surface operations only, under the Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996. There, Christo can take the section 12(1) appointment for those operations. We are based in Pretoria, work in all nine provinces and are a B-BBEE Level 2 contributor.
- • Measured vibration for each tool, vehicle and task
• Each employee's 8-hour hand-arm and whole-body exposure, compared with the action levels and limits in Table 1 of the regulations
• The tools, vehicles and tasks that contribute most to exposure
• Practical controls in order of priority, such as low-vibration tools and plant, maintenance, suspension seats, well-kept roads and floors, and limits on trigger and driving time
• Recommendations ready for your documented action plan
• A report written for management, SHEQ teams and auditors
What affects the quote: the time on site and travel to site. Time on site depends on the size of the site and the number of tools, vehicles and employee groups to cover. Quotations list each service as its own line item, so a noise survey on the same visit appears as a separate line.
WHAT YOUR VIBRATION REPORT INCLUDES
- How often is vibration monitoring required?
Monitoring is required where the physical agent risk assessment shows employees may be exposed at or above the limit. It is repeated at the frequency the assessment sets, and at least every 24 months. The risk assessment is redone at least every 24 months.
What are the legal limits for hand-arm and whole-body vibration?
For hand-arm vibration, the action level is 2,5 m/s² and the limit 5 m/s². For whole-body vibration, they are 0,5 m/s² and 1,15 m/s². Each is set over an 8-hour duration. At or above the action level, find out why and review your controls. At or above the limit, regulation 13 sets minimum measures, such as alternative working methods and limits on exposure time.
When and how must vibration be measured?
Hand-arm vibration is measured along three axes over at least one exposure cycle. Hand-arm readings must be taken in the coldest period of the shift and the coldest quarter of the year. A survey in a warmer quarter may not comply. Whole-body vibration is measured according to SANS 2631.
How does vibration relate to our noise survey?
Whole-body vibration above the 0,5 m/s² action level brings the noise monitoring trigger down from 85 dBA to 82 dBA. Drivers of mobile plant in noisy areas may need both surveys, and we can do them on one visit.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Free online tool: Compliance Gap Assessment. See what is due at your workplace
Occupational hygiene for mines and quarries
Occupational hygiene for construction, demolition and property
Occupational hygiene for manufacturing, engineering and foundries
Hand-arm and whole-body vibration: limits and controls
What must a physical agent risk assessment cover?
What do the Physical Agents Regulations, 2024 require?
What is an AIA inspection in South Africa, and which AIA do you need?
FREE TOOL AND ARTICLES
REQUEST A QUOTE
Send us a list of your vibrating tools and mobile plant, and tell us which operators also work in noisy areas. We will send you a quotation, with travel quoted upfront.
