A HAVS assessment looks at the vibrating tools people use at work and works out how much vibration reaches their hands and arms over a day. Too much, for long enough, causes hand-arm vibration syndrome — tingling, numbness, white fingers in the cold, a weaker grip — and the damage is usually permanent. This template is written for workplaces in Great Britain. It records each tool and its vibration level, the trigger time and the exposure points, then each person's whole day against the legal action and limit values, the controls in place and the health surveillance that goes with them. Fill it in here and download a PDF without an account, or speak while you walk, and the document writes itself.
The two numbers that matter
The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 set two values for daily exposure, averaged over an eight-hour day and written A(8). The exposure action value is 2.5 m/s² A(8): at or above it, the employer must put in place a programme of controls to cut exposure and provide health surveillance. The exposure limit value is 5 m/s² A(8): nobody should go above it.
The HSE points system turns this into something easier to use on site. 100 points a day is the action value; 400 points is the limit. Points from different tools used by the same person on the same day are simply added together.
Getting honest figures
Each tool needs a vibration level in m/s² and a trigger time. The maker's declared figure in the handbook is a starting point, but in real use many tools vibrate more than the test suggests, so say where your figure came from: the handbook, a hire company or trade database, or a measurement on site.
Trigger time is the time the tool is actually running in someone's hands, not the length of the job. It is usually much shorter than people guess, and sometimes longer. Timing a few cycles, or using a tool-mounted timer, gives a better number than asking around. With the level and the time, the HSE ready-reckoner gives the points.
A programme of controls
The strongest controls stop people needing the vibrating tool at all: a different method, a machine-mounted breaker, a design that avoids scabbling or chasing. After that come lower-vibration tools chosen when buying or hiring, good maintenance (sharp bits, balanced discs, sound handles), limits on trigger time, job rotation, keeping hands warm and dry, and training so people know the early signs.
Gloves keep hands warm, which helps circulation, but so-called anti-vibration gloves should not be relied on to bring exposure down.
Health surveillance and reporting
Anyone regularly exposed at or above the action value, or who has symptoms, should be under health surveillance — usually a tiered scheme of questionnaires and checks by an occupational health provider. Early symptoms caught this way give a chance to change the work before the damage gets worse. A doctor's written diagnosis of HAVS or carpal tunnel syndrome in someone who regularly uses vibrating tools is reportable under RIDDOR.
This template records what you checked and decided. It is not an official HSE form, and other countries set their own values; EU member states use the same two figures, but check what applies where you work.
Common questions
What is a HAVS assessment?
A written assessment of the hand-arm vibration risk from the tools people use: which tools, how much vibration, for how long, each person's total daily exposure, the controls in place and the health surveillance that follows.
What are the EAV and ELV for hand-arm vibration?
In Great Britain the exposure action value is 2.5 m/s² A(8) and the exposure limit value is 5 m/s² A(8). On the HSE points system these are 100 and 400 points a day.
What is trigger time?
The time a person is actually holding a running tool that is vibrating. It is what goes into the calculation, rather than the time spent on the job or on site.
Can I use the manufacturer's vibration figure?
As a starting point, yes. Declared figures come from a standard test and can understate vibration in real use, so many employers increase them or use figures from hire companies, trade databases or measurements on site. Record which one you used.
Who needs health surveillance?
People who are regularly exposed at or above the exposure action value, people who use vibrating tools and already have symptoms, and anyone with a condition that vibration could make worse. New starters who will be exposed should be checked before or soon after they begin.