Injuries at Work such as Vibration White Finger (VWF) & Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVs) are becoming commonplace.
Vibration White Finger is caused by exposure of the hands to severe vibration from hand held equipment. The condition involves neurological and vascular damage to the nerves and arteries. The condition is progressive and in serious cases, tissue can become necrotic, causing amputations.
Your employers are duty bound to risk assess all types of vibrating machinery. Certain types of machine and tools should only be used for short periods, with breaks in-between. Prolonged use of these machines, such as pneumatic drills, jigger picks, kango hammers, grinding tools, needle guns, descaling guns, windy guns and nut runners – without proper risk assessment may well lead to Vibration White Finger.
The symptoms of Vibration White Finger can include numbness or tingling of the fingers, a cold feeling in the hands and fingers and a white colouring to the fingers. This can result in a loss of dexterity and pain in the fingers, hands and arms. As a result everyday tasks such as fastening buttons, tying a shoelace, using a telephone and so on can be much more difficult.
Unfortunately there is little effective treatment once Vibration White Finger has developed. The body and hands should be kept warm which may help to maintain a good blood flow to the fingers; this may reduce the risk of discomfort. However, once damage to the nerves or nerve fibres has occurred there is no means of repair.
There are strict time limits applied to personal injury anf industrial disease claims, such as Vibration White Finger (VWF) compensation claims. Don’t delay in making your Vibration White Finger Claim… Contact Us immediately for free initial advice!
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