The VIBGUIDE project

BGIA Berufsgenossenschaftliches Institut für Arbeitsschutz   Hauptverband der gewerblichen Berufsgenossenschaften

Contract title:
Drawing up of a non-binding guide to good practice with a view to the implementation of Directive 2002/44/EC on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (vibrations).

 

Project objectives

The objective of the VIBGUIDE project is to produce accessible, comprehensive and achievable non-binding guidance to assist both employers and workers in meeting the requirements of Directive 2002/44/EC and to ensure that the risks arising from vibration exposure are controlled.

The outputs of the project are two separate guides on whole-body vibration and hand-arm vibration. The guides, which are currently available in English, French and German, are aimed at target readers who include employers in the SME sector and self-employed workers. The guides provide information on the methodology used for determining and evaluating risks; dealing with the choice and correct use of work equipment, the optimisation of methods and the implementation of protection measures (technical and/or organisational measures) on the basis of a prior risk analysis. The guides also give details of the type of training and information to be provided to the workers and propose effective solutions for other matters raised in Directive 2002/44/EC.

This contract involves a consortium of four organisations: the Human Factors Research Unit of the ISVR, University of Southampton and three national occupational health and safety organisations: HSE, the Health and Safety Laboratory in the UK; INRS, the National Research and Safety Institute in France; and BGIA, the Institute for Occupational Health in Germany. The project is co-ordinated by the University of Southampton.

The guides have been prepared under contract VC/2004/0341 for the European Commission Directorate General Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities with the supervision of the Working Party “Vibration” mandated by the Advisory Committee on Safety and Health at Work in cooperation with the European Commission.

Guides

To download the guides click on the links below:

Whole-body vibration guide

The latest version of the WBV guide is available here English, French and German (PDF):

Whole-body vibration guide to good practice v6.7h English 28/11/08

Whole-body vibration guide to good practice French 09/06/06

Whole-body vibration guide to good practice German 02/06/06

Hand-arm vibration guide

The latest version of the HAV guide is available here English, French and German (PDF):

Hand-arm vibration guide to good practice v7.7 English 26/05/06

Hand-arm vibration guide to good practice French 08/06/06

Hand-arm vibration guide to good practice German 06/06/06

The guides will be published by the European Commission in 2007. The cover page, foreword and some text in the final EC versions of the guides will differ slightly from the above versions.

Contacts

 

For queries regarding the guides please contact: Dr. Henrietta Howarth Institute of Sound and Vibration Research University of Southampton SO17 1BJ E-mail h.howarth@soton.ac.uk Tel     +44(0)2380594963 or +44(0)2380592277 Fax    +44(0)2380592927

For queries regarding access to the guides source files please contact: Mr. Georges Herbillon European Commission DG EMPL D4 EUFO 2177 L-2920 Luxembourg E-mail Georges.HERBILLON@ec.europa.eu Tel     00 352 4301 34534 Fax    00 352 4301 34259

Health surveillance questionnaires

To download the questionnaires click on the links below:

Risks of Occupational Vibration Injuries (VIBRISKS) European Commission FP5 Project No. QLK4-2002-02650: