How to Protect Against Vibration White Finger in the Workplace

Vibration white finger (VWF) is a common work-related injury in the manufacturing, construction and aerospace industries. Also known as hand-arm vibration system (HAVS), it's characterized by the disruption of blood flow to one or more fingers. According to research cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.2 million U.S. workers are at risk for developing VWF. As an employer, though, there are ways to protect your workers from this troubling injury.

Require Gloves When Using Vibrating Equipment

When a worker uses a machine, tool or any other equipment that vibrates, you should require him or her to wear gloves. Gloves not only protect workers' hands from lacerations; they also reduce the risk of VWF. This is because VWF is caused by repetitive hand exposure to vibrations. Gloves won't eliminate all vibrations, but they'll absorb some of the vibrations to reduce the risk of VWF.

Maintain Vibrating Equipment

It's also important that you maintain all vibrating equipment in your workplace. When a machine or tool is neglected, its internal components may wear down, resulting in more aggressive vibrations when used. To keep vibrations under control, maintain all equipment in your workplace. And if a piece of equipment is faulty or otherwise defective, remove it from your workplace until it's fixed. Allowing workers to use faulty equipment may increase their exposure to vibrations, thereby paving the way for VWF.

Require Workers to Take Breaks

Since VWF is a type of repetitive strain injury, workers should take breaks to reduce their risk of sustaining this injury. Neither the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) nor any other federal law requires employers to give their workers break. With that said, some states have their own laws regarding mandatory breaks. Whether your business operates in one of these states or not, though, implementing a mandatory break policy is an effective way to protect workers from VWF as well as other repetitive strain injuries.

Install Vibration Isolators on Equipment

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) recommends the use of vibration isolators to reduce the risk of VWF in the workplace. Vibration isolations are essentially pads, bushings and other components that, as the name suggests, are designed to isolate vibrations. When installed on equipment, they'll reduce the amount of vibrations created by the equipment.

VMF is a serious concern for workers, and rightfully so. It's a troubling injury that can lead to permanent tissue damage in the fingers. But applying these practices to your business's operations can help safeguard your workers from VMF.