Health & Safety News Brief
Occupational Health & Safety Information Service

HSE launches programme to protect two million workers

More than two million workers in Great Britain are exposed to either excessive noise or hand arm vibration.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched a new Programme aimed at protecting these workers from suffering permanent damage to their health as a result of their work.

The Programme is designed to:

• eliminate new cases of occupational induced hearing damage; and
• control new cases of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) sufficiently to enable workers to remain at work without disability.

The launch event was held, on Monday 10 July at EEF, the manufacturers' organisation headquarters in London.

Speakers at the event included Liz Gibby, and Bruce Appleton from HSE, Steve Walter and Gary Booton from EEF and industry specialists including John Davis of Devonport Management Ltd who spoke about good practice in ship building, Jack Knight of the British Tunneling Society, Rob Miguel of AMICUS, George Bond of Metal and Waste Recycling Ltd, Peter and Elaine Houldridge of Complete Hire Services who spoke about customers and suppliers and Sayeed Khan, Chief Medical Officer at EEF and Health and Safety Commissioner.

Barry Hill, a former mechanic technician who was signed off work in his 50's with tissue damage to his hands causing numbness, tingling and blanching was present at the event and said, "HAVS has affected my day to day living. I have a loss of manual dexterity and find it very difficult to use my fingers, and in particular to my thumbs. Gripping with my thumbs is very difficult and painful, for example when using a brush. I dread the cold months and even during rest periods I experience coldness and painfulness. I can no longer do some of the hobbies I used to enjoy, like swimming and angling."

Steve Walter of the EEF said, "EEF believes that protecting and promoting the health of employees is key to successful and sustainable business performance."

Sayeed Khan, "Help us to help you - HSE is keen to promote good practice and identify problem areas that remain."

The Programme will include a range of activities including stakeholder engagement and inspection activity to promote the use of good practice controls measures to control exposure of workers, initially will focus on Hand-Arm Vibration exposure in foundries, heavy fabrication and construction. More information about these controls and the Programme can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/vibration which was relaunched also on 10 July 2006.

For more information about the controlling exposure to excessive noise, visit www.hse.gov.uk/noise