Skip to main content
IOSH Magazine: Safety, Health and Wellbeing in the world of work - return to the homepage IOSH Magaazine logo
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit @ioshmagazine on Twitter
  • Visit IOSH Magazine on LinkedIn
How Jacobs keeps mental health in check
Th brilliance of resilience
January/February 2023 issue

Main navigation

  • Home
    • Browse previous issues
    • Member accolades
    • Member tributes
  • Health
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Sickness absence
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Rehabilitation
      • Personal injury
      • Return to work
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Achieving Fellowship
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Professional skills
      • Qualifications
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Jobs
  • Covid-19
  • Knowledge Bank
    • Back to basics
    • Book club
    • Infographics
    • Podcast
    • Reports
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Products & Services
  • Management
    • Human factors
      • Sickness absence
      • Accident reduction
      • Behavioural safety
      • Control of contractors
      • Migrant workers
      • Older workers
      • Reporting
      • Safe systems of work
      • Young workers
    • Leadership and management
      • Employee involvement
      • Leadership
      • Management systems
    • Management standards
      • ISO 45001
      • ISO 45003
    • Planning
      • Assurance
      • Compliance
      • Emergency planning
      • Insurance
    • Strategy
      • Corporate governance
      • Performance/results
      • Regulation/enforcement
      • Reputation
    • Sustainability
      • Human capital and Vision Zero
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • Mental health and wellbeing
      • Bullying
      • Drugs and alcohol
      • Mental health
      • Stress
      • Wellbeing
    • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
      • Ergonomics
      • Manual handling
      • Vibration
    • Occupational cancer
      • Asbestos
      • Hazardous substances
      • Radiation
  • Safety
    • Incident management
      • Chemicals
      • Electricity
      • Fire
      • First aid
      • Slips and trips
    • Non-health related fatalities
      • Road safety
      • Work at height
    • Risk management
      • Confined spaces
      • Disability
      • Legionella
      • Lifting operations
      • Lone workers
      • Noise
      • Personal protective equipment
      • Violence at work
      • Work equipment
      • Workplace transport
  • Skills
    • Communication
    • Personal performance
      • Career development
      • Competencies
      • Personal development
      • Qualifications
      • Professional skills
      • Achieving Fellowship
    • Stakeholder management
    • Working with others
      • Leadership
      • Future Leaders
  • Transport and logistics
  • Third sector
  • Retail
  • Mining and quarrying
  • Rail
  • Rehabilitation
    • Personal injury
    • Return to work
  • Utilities
  • Manufacturing and engineering
  • Construction
  • Sector: IOSH Branch
    • Sector: Northern Ireland
    • Sector: Midland
    • Sector: Merseyside
    • Sector: Manchester and North West Districts
    • Sector: Ireland East
    • Sector: Ireland
    • Sector: Edinburgh
    • Sector: Desmond-South Munster
    • Sector: Qatar
    • Sector: Oman
    • Singapore
    • Sector: South Coast
    • Sector: South Wales
    • Sector: Thames Valley
    • Sector: Tyne and Wear
    • Sector: UAE
    • Sector: West of Scotland
    • Sector: Yorkshire
  • Healthcare
  • Sector: Fire
  • Sector: Financial/general services
  • Sector: Energy
  • Education
  • Sector: Communications and media
  • Chemicals
  • Sector: Central government
  • Catering and leisure
  • Agriculture and forestry
  • Sector: Local government
  • Sector: IOSH Group
    • Sector: Financial Services
    • Sector: Sports Grounds and Events
    • Rural industries
    • Sector: railway
    • Public Services
    • Sector: Offshore
    • Sector: Hazardous Industries
    • Sector: Food and Drink
    • Sector: Fire Risk Management
    • Education
    • Construction
    • Sector: Aviation and Aerospace
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Categories
  • Topics
  • Health
  • Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
  • Vibration
Sector: Local government
News

*UPDATE* HAVS cases 'disappeared into a black hole' because of council’s lack of surveillance

Open-access content Tuesday 29th November 2016

*UPDATE* HAVS cases

IOSH Magazine reported last week that a worker was diagnosed with HAVS in October 2014 after he visited his GP. He was not under any health surveillance and did not know how to report his symptoms. Thanet District Council reported the injury under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations).

When the HSE followed up the report it found that the employee in question, who had worked for the council for around 10 years, had spent up to six hours a day operating equipment such as pedestrian mowers, petrol strimmers and hedge cutters.

It said the council had not taken steps to eliminate or control its workers' exposure to HAVS, and had failed to train them on the risks of vibration exposure and how to control it.

HSE inspector Mike Walters said: "In essence the council hadn't done anything to deal with the risks associated with the use of vibrating tools since the [Control of Vibration at Work Regulations] came in to force in July 2005. There was no proper risk assessment, no adequate controls in place, no training of staff to know what the risks were, how to identify symptoms and how to report them, or any health surveillance programme in place."

Walters said the council would have easily identified that people were at high risk if it had obtained vibration data from the manufacturers and had trigger times for the machinery. He added: "Not having the safety net of health surveillance in place then meant that all of the cases were just disappearing into a black hole."

The HSE served the council with an improvement notice on 17 October 2014 to ensure it had a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for vibrating hand tools. The council complied with the notice by 24 November.

It introduced a health surveillance programme that identified a further 15 cases of HAVS, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis and musculoskeletal disorders, all of which were linked to the use of vibrating hand tools and were reported under RIDDOR.

The council also implemented staff training programmes and job rotation to help ensure its workers were not exposed to vibrating equipment for long periods.

At Canterbury Crown Court, sentencing judge Heather Norton said the affected employees' personal statements "made for very sad reading" -- the worker who was initially diagnosed with HAVS can no longer carry out everyday tasks, such as washing up and DIY. She said Thanet District Council's breach of duty put a total of 40 workers at risk.

She assessed the council's culpability as high and said the offence fell within harm category 2 (the seriousness of harm risked was level B, with a high likelihood). She said that, based on the council's net revenue budget of £18.8m, it was a medium-sized organisation.

The starting point for the fine was £450,000, reduced to £250,000 once the judge had taken into account the council's early guilty pleas, mitigation and "representation of its financial status", Walters said. He said the accepted mitigating circumstances were "an unreserved apology, a high level of co-operation, the fact that it self-reported and the remedial measures it took post HSE's intervention would have cost a significant amount of money".

Thanet District Council pleaded guilty to breaching regs 6(2) and 7(1) of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations for failing to reduce exposure to vibration to as low a level as reasonably practicable and for failing to place employees under suitable health surveillance, respectively.

It was fined and ordered to pay £18,325 costs.

Walters said: "[Hand-arm vibration] is entirely preventable but once the damage is done it is permanent."

Topics
Vibration
Sector: Local government
News

You might also like...

Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

Latest Jobs

Project Health and Safety Manager

London (Central)
Up to £400.00 per day
Reference
5452796

Health and Safety Advisor – Career Progression role

Chesterfield
£26,824.02 and progressing through increments to £30,785.23
Reference
5452792

Regional Health and Safety Advisor

Newmarket
£43000 - £48000 per annum + Car and Benefits
Reference
5452785
See all jobs »

Today's top reads

Sign up for regular e-alerts

Receive the latest news and features, free to your inbox

Sign up

Subscribe to IOSH magazine

Receive the print edition straight to your door

Subscribe
IOSH Covers
​
FOLLOW US
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel +44 (0)20 7880 6200
​

IOSH

About IOSH
Become a member
IOSH Events
MyIOSH

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to IOSH magazine
Write for IOSH magazine

IOSH Magazine

Health
Safety
Management
Skills
IOSH Jobs

© 2023 IOSH • IOSH is not responsible for the content of external sites

ioshmagazine.com and IOSH Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ