Many companies use the ready reckon-er for working out and controlling their employees exposure to Hand Arm Vibration which is a simple and effective reference tool for this purpose. The HSE has for a number of years, provided a spread sheet calculator as an alternative to the ready reckon-er.
The latest version of the spreadsheet is available to download from the HSE Website. This version now includes a drop down window containing vibration magnitudes for a number of common tools used in the industry.
The tool assists you by calculating an individual’s exposure, by determining how long they can use single or multiple items before they reach the Exposure Action Value of 2.5m/s. At this point, the employer will need to put in place controls to protect the user from the affects of vibration, and the Exposure Limit Value 5m/s after which an individual must not be exposed to any further vibration in an 8 hour period.
Whilst the tool will tell you what the usage time should be, it cannot record the ‘Actual’ usage time. How this is achieved should be identified in your Vibration Policy and procedures, and risk assessments.
Typical solutions rely on the individual recording their trigger time, more accurate solutions involving physical time and vibration recorders on the equipment or individual, or sending data to a software application.
