A man with the debilitating industrial disease Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) has won a substantial sum in compensation.

Alexander Simpson, 60, worked for an engineering company and using vibrating tools was part of his job. Up until 2007, he used one tool in particular – a grinder – five days a week.

Mr Simpson later developed HAVS (sometimes referred to as Vibration White Finger), a painful and disabling disorder of the blood vessels, nerves, joints and muscles of the hands and arms. If his hands get cold, they become numb and as a result he now finds it difficult to continue with his hobbies of working on cars and gardening.

After he brought a claim for personal injury compensation, his employers agreed to a sizeable out of court settlement and Mr Simpson was moved to another job with the same firm.

The symptoms of HAVS can vary widely between sufferers. It can cause numbness and tingling in the fingers, a reduced sense of touch and
temperature, joint pain and stiffness in the hand and arm, reduced grip strength and also discolouration of the skin.

Because of the danger to employees of working with vibrating machinery, there is specific health and safety legislation to protect against the risks. The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 introduced action and limit values for hand-arm and whole-body vibration and place a duty on employers to assess and control the risks arising from the use of hand-held power tools at work.

For further information on HAVS see the Health and Safety Executive website.