New research has revealed the high level of risk manual workers could be exposed to as many SME employers remain unaware of new Regulations designed to safeguard employees from contracting the notorious vibration white finger disease.
In April of this year 47.5 percent of respondents polled by Croner said that they were unaware of the requirements of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. Interestingly,when the survey was repeated after the Regulations came in to force on 6 July, a surprisingly high 64.2 percent of employers admitted that they were unaware of the requirements. The new Regulations are intended to protect workers from encountering potentially dangerous vibrations in the workplace.
Most at risk are employees in industries such as road and railway maintenance, construction and regular drivers of commercial, industrial and construction vehicles. Alongside these are other sectors equally open to the hazards of vibration that are not so apparent, including public utilities and estates management.
36,000 people in the UK now have advanced stages of vibration white finger with hundreds of new cases being assessed each year.
