Investigation into Hand-Arm Vibration

Report of findings

To ensure air tools in rework bays were safe from Hand-

Arm vibration, tests were completed on the equipment
and readings were taken to see how long the equipment
could be used for before and risk was potentially being
placed on operators.
All equipment was tested using a Larson Davies HVM100
vibration meter. The equipment was tested using normal
working conditions to get the highest possible accuracy.
The sensors were attached to the equipments handles
where the vibrations were being transferred from machine
to man.
The operator would then rework the panel, and average
reading from X,Y and Z axis were taken over the course of
working on this panel. I then did this for a couple of
panels per machine to get and overall average of
readings.

The HSE Hand-Arm Vibration have created a spreadsheet,

that will follow later in the report, that calculates ELV –
exposure limit value, and how long it takes for the
operator to exceed this recommended value. This will then
give an accurate timescale that the machine can be used
for safely, without putting the operator at risk to Hand-
Arm Vibration.

The experiment was controlled by using the same air

pressure, and same material. This was so that the
material was the same thickness and resistance to re-
work.
The item that was being re-worked was a Land Rover
Defender Fender (Tools 01-03), and Agco Hoods (Tools
04-05). I also took readings for how long the panel took
to be re-worked, to calculate how long the operator was
being exposed to possible damage on a daily shift.

Hand-Arm Vibration Testing ca2 06/04/2011

Below is a table showing how long the panels were being
re-worked for each (average).

Tool Number Average Time Used (mins)

01 5
02 5
03 5
04 3
05 3

Tools 01-04 we small orbital sanders – air powered, Tool

05 was a 6 inch air grinder.
Below is a table showing the Vibration Magnitude in m/s².

Tool Number Vibration Magnitude

Readings m/s²
01 4.600
02 4.490
03 5.320
04 7.590
05 5.100

Also attached is the results from the HSE calculator,

showing if any of our staff are potentially at risk from the
equipment they are using.
They show that all equipment tested is safe to use for our
current shift system (minus breaks), except Tool 4.
The reason for this being a risk therefore had to be tested.
The possible reasons were that the panels were being
reworked in a different area and on different tables. Also
the panels were different panels.
To test if it was the conditions that created the variance in
readings, or if it was the tool itself I took the tool and
swapped it for one that was reworking the defender
fenders, and took a tool from their and tested it on the
Agco hoods. This would prove that it was the conditions
that were causing such a low Time.

Hand-Arm Vibration Testing ca2 06/04/2011

If it was the conditions that were the problem then the
table could be changed. If it was the tool proving to be
the problem then that would have to be changed.

Hand-Arm Vibration Testing ca2 06/04/2011

Hand-Arm Vibration Testing ca2 06/04/2011
Hand-Arm Vibration Testing ca2 06/04/2011
Re-Test Results
Tool Number Vibration Magnitude
Readings m/s²
04 5.28

Conclusion from Re-Test

From the re-test I can conclude that the mini orbital

sander was safe to use when used on a fender on the
larger re-work tables, and the orbital that was safe to use
on the fenders originally was now high when reworking
Agco hoods.
This was found by testing Tool 04 on a Land Rover
Defender fender on the Defender rework tables, and Tool
03 in the lower rework cell. This proved that it wasn’t the
Tool that was the problem, but the conditions that the tool
was being used in.

To rectify this problem, we will modify the table in the

lower rework bays when using larger panels so there is no
panel overhanging the edges of the table, to reduce the
amount of vibration given off.
This now means that all of the tools measured in the re-
work area are safe to use for a shift of 8 hours (minus
breaks).

Hand-Arm Vibration Testing ca2 06/04/2011

Results from Re-Test

Hand-Arm Vibration Testing ca2 06/04/2011