Stop HAV Syndrome Before It Starts
Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome is painful, permanent, and entirely preventable. Trelawny engineered the Vibro-Lo™ low-vibration system to cut tool vibration at the source, so your crews stay within HSE exposure limits, work longer per shift, and your operation carries less risk and lower cost.
What Is Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome?
Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is permanent damage to the nerves, blood vessels and joints of the hand and arm, caused by prolonged or repeated use of vibrating power tools, exactly the kind of needle scalers, chisel scalers and deck hammers used in surface preparation every day.
It develops slowly and is often missed until it is advanced. Once it takes hold it cannot be cured, only managed. For the operator it means pain, numbness and loss of grip and dexterity; for the employer it means lost skilled labour, sickness absence, compensation claims and regulatory exposure.
Common symptoms, and why they're missed
- Vibration white finger (VWF) / Raynaud's phenomenon: fingertips blanch white, then redden painfully as circulation returns, often triggered by cold
- Tingling, numbness and a "dead-hand" feeling that comes and goes
- Carpal tunnel syndrome: nerve compression causing wrist and hand pain, weakness and clumsiness
- Loss of grip strength and fine dexterity: small fixings and fiddly tasks become difficult
- Increased cold sensitivity and aching after even short periods of tool use
Early symptoms appear intermittently and are easy to dismiss, a bit of tingling after a shift, the odd cold finger. Left unchecked they become constant and disabling. Spotting them early is the only way to stop HAVS progressing.
Hand-arm vibration isn't the only risk at sea. Whole-body vibration, transmitted through decks, seats and machinery, especially in engine rooms and on fast craft, is a separate hazard with its own daily limit (1.15 m/s² A(8)), and repeated shocks can cause back, spine and joint injury. It is assessed under a different standard (ISO 2631), but the principle is the same: control vibration at the source.
What the HSE Requires, and Why It's Changing
Under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, employers must assess and reduce vibration exposure. Two daily-exposure thresholds drive the duty.
2.5 m/s² A(8)
The daily level, equivalent to 100 exposure points, at which employers must act: assess the risk and introduce measures to reduce exposure. Reached far faster than most people expect.
5.0 m/s² A(8)
The absolute daily limit, 400 exposure points, that must not be exceeded. Beyond it, operators are at significant risk and work must stop or change immediately.
Both figures are A(8) values: the vibration dose averaged over an 8-hour day, which combines how hard a tool vibrates (its magnitude, in m/s²) with how long it's actually triggered. Because the dose rises with the square of the magnitude, a tool that vibrates twice as hard uses up the daily allowance four times as fast. With HAVS cases rising, the HSE continues to push employers toward the most effective control of all: lower-vibration equipment at the source.
Marine-specific duties
- Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005: the general UK duty to assess exposure, control it and provide health surveillance
- Merchant Shipping & Fishing Vessels (Control of Vibration at Work) Regulations 2007: the maritime transposition that applies to seafarers
- EU Directive 2002/44/EC: the parent directive that sets the EAV (2.5) and ELV (5.0) values
- Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006): shipowners must protect crews from harmful vibration and provide health surveillance
- Measurement standards ISO 5349 (hand-arm) and ISO 2631 (whole-body); UK marine guidance MGN 353/446
Why it bites
- HAVS is the most commonly reported disease under RIDDOR
- An estimated 10 million+ workers worldwide are exposed to harmful hand-arm vibration
- Employers face 3,000+ UK industrial-injury claims a year for vibration injuries, often five-figure settlements
- There is no PPE that meaningfully reduces vibration: controls must address the tool and the trigger time
The hierarchy of control: most to least effective
- Lower-vibration tools at the source (Vibro-Lo™): the only control that cuts the vibration magnitude itself, so every operator gains trigger time
- Job rotation: shares the exposure around, but reduces efficiency and consistency
- Limiting trigger time: protective, but directly cuts productivity
- PPE: anti-vibration gloves give little real reduction and cannot be relied on for compliance
How Long Can One Operator Safely Work?
The same job, the same operator, but the tool's vibration decides how many minutes of trigger time it takes to reach the HSE limits.
Typical hand-arm vibration magnitude
Measured hand-arm vibration magnitude
Illustrative, using the HSE exposure-points method (points = 2 × magnitude² × trigger hours; EAV = 100 points, ELV = 400 points). The Vibro-Lo figure is the measured VL203 value; the conventional figure is a representative magnitude for a standard pneumatic scaler. Actual exposure depends on the specific tool, task and operator, always confirm with measured data and the HSE hand-arm vibration calculator.
The Low-Vibration Workforce Calculator
Set the descaling workload and how hard a standard tool vibrates, then watch how many operators it takes to keep everyone within the HSE action value, versus Vibro-Lo™.
Vibro-Lo™ reference: 2.75 m/s² (measured VL203). HSE Exposure Action Value (EAV) = 2.5 m/s² A(8). The figures show how many operators are needed so that none exceeds the EAV, using the HSE exposure-points method (points = 2 × magnitude² × trigger-hours).
How Vibro-Lo™ Cuts Vibration at the Source
Vibro-Lo, short for "low-vibration system", is Trelawny's engineered answer to HAVS: less vibration to the operator, without giving up the power that gets the job done.
Up to 7× less vibration reaches the operator
The Vibro-Lo mechanism isolates the operator's grip from the percussive action, dramatically reducing the vibration transmitted to the hand and arm, down to as little as 2.3–2.75 m/s² across the range, versus around 18 m/s² for a conventional scaler.
- Engineered low-vibration mechanism, not a bolt-on damper
- Keeps operators below the HSE action value for far longer
- Available across needle scalers, chisel scalers and deck hammers
Full output and low air consumption
Reducing vibration usually means losing power, but Vibro-Lo doesn't. It maintains a high impact rate for productive descaling while drawing less compressed air, so the same job gets done with less operator fatigue and lower running cost.
- High, sustained impact rate for real-world productivity
- Low air consumption reduces wear and energy cost
- Cleaner, more consistent surface finish: longer coating life
Lower Vibration Is Also Lower Cost
Protecting operators and protecting the budget point the same way. Low-vibration tools pay back across the whole operation.
More work per operator
When a tool stays well below the action value, one operator can run it for a full shift instead of swapping out after minutes, meaning fewer people and less downtime to cover the same scope.
Fewer claims & less absence
HAVS is a leading cause of occupational-health claims and lost skilled labour. Cutting exposure at the source reduces the risk of injury, litigation and sickness absence.
Compliance, evidenced
Specifying low-vibration tools is the control measure the HSE favours most. It demonstrates that you've reduced exposure "to as low as reasonably practicable", not just managed the paperwork.
Higher productivity
The Trelawny / BSO Svendborg / SepcoTech programme found low-vibration equipment almost doubled productivity, with operators working longer with less fatigue.
Better surface quality
More consistent descaling gives superior cleanliness levels and longer coating life, cutting rework and extending maintenance intervals.
Lower running cost
Low air consumption and reduced wear-and-tear mean the tools cost less to run and last longer in punishing marine conditions.
Reducing HAVS Risk, Together
Low-vibration tools cut HAVS risk across multiple fleets
The Trelawny, BSO Svendborg and SepcoTech partnership formed around a shared goal: reduce the HAVS risk that traditional descaling tools pose to crews. Trelawny developed a low-vibration range emitting up to seven times less vibration than standard alternatives, and, with SepcoTech and BSO Svendborg, rolled it out across fleets for operators including TB Marine and Hafnia.
Results delivered:
- Almost doubled productivity, less fatigue, longer working time
- Superior cleanliness levels that extend coating life
- Compliance with EU HAVS regulations (Directive 2002/44/EC)
"Together, we're setting new industry standards that fleets worldwide can rely on." BSO Svendborg
Protect your crew's hands and your operating budget in one decision
Switching to low-vibration tools is the rare upgrade that improves safety, compliance and productivity at the same time. SepcoTech supplies the full Trelawny Vibro-Lo™ range and will help you spec the right tools for the job.
The Trelawny Vibro-Lo™ Range
Browse the tools engineered to keep operators safe and productive, add what you need straight to a quote.
Low-Vibration Needle Scalers
VL203, VL223 and VL303 Vibro-Lo scalers: 2.3–2.75 m/s² for full-shift descaling.
View the range →TVS Needle Scalers
The Trelawny Vibration System range: the lowest practical operator exposure on demanding work.
View TVS scalers →
Deck Hammers & Scaling Hammers
Low-vibration and ATEX percussive tools for heavier deck and structural prep.
View deck hammers →Low-vibration tools in action
See how the Vibro-Lo™ range cuts hand-arm vibration in real use.
Talk to Us About Low-Vibration Tools
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