Hand-arm vibration: exposure, glove performance and the Eureka approach

Vibration injuries often develop gradually. Tingling, numbness, reduced sensitivity and loss of hand strength can make everyday tasks increasingly difficult, while damage to blood vessels can cause vibration white finger. These conditions can affect both working ability and quality of life. Because the damage can become permanent, prevention depends on recognising and controlling exposure before serious symptoms develop.[1,8] Workers should report tingling, numbness, changes in sensitivity or reduced hand strength early, so that their exposure can be reviewed and appropriate medical advice sought.[7]

The scale of the problem is clear. The Swedish Work Environment Authority estimates that around 500,000 people in Sweden are exposed to vibration from hand-held machinery for at least a quarter of their working time. Its inspection campaign between 2023 and 2025 included more than 4,000 inspections at over 2,500 workplaces, with 80% of employers required to address shortcomings. According to Afa Försäkring statistics cited by the Swedish Work Environment Authority, vibration accounts for more than 30% of recognised occupational diseases among men, and over 40% within the construction industry during the reported periods.[1]

Assessing and reducing exposure

In Sweden, AFS 2023:10 requires employers to assess vibration exposure and reduce the risks. The daily hand-arm vibration action value is 2.5 m/s² A(8), and the limit value is 5.0 m/s² A(8). ISO 5349-1/-2 concerns human exposure: vibration at the hand/tool interface and, with exposure duration, the resulting A(8), normalised to an eight-hour reference period.[2,10,11]

These are daily exposure values, rather than direct limits on a machine’s vibration emission. Exposure below the action value can still present a risk, particularly where the work involves repeated shocks or impacts.[2,3]

The assessment must reflect the work being performed: which machines are used, how they are used and how long each worker is exposed. Priority should be given to methods that eliminate or reduce vibration at its source, supported by suitable machinery, regular maintenance and control of exposure time. Work technique, grip force, operator training and medical surveillance also need to be addressed. Carefully selected vibration-reducing gloves can provide additional protection as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce vibration-related health risks.[2,3,7]

What a vibration value and a glove test can tell us

An overall vibration value in m/s² does not describe every characteristic of a tool’s vibration. The frequency spectrum shows how vibration is distributed across frequencies. Tools with similar overall values can have different spectra. Considering these alongside glove-response data can inform product selection, but does not establish a reduction in occupational exposure.[5,6,9]

ISO 10819 answers a different question from ISO 5349: it measures laboratory transmissibility from a handle, through a glove, to the palm. Although it includes requirements for material in the fingers and thumb, transmission is measured at the palm. It is not an occupational exposure assessment and does not establish how much may be deducted from A(8), or performance at the fingers or with every workplace tool.[4,5]

The palm and fingers respond differently to vibration. A damping material may reduce transmission at some frequencies, provide little reduction at others or amplify vibration through resonance. Finger response also depends on individual anatomy, grip force, the tool’s vibration characteristics, vibration direction and measurement location.[5] Understanding these differences is essential for selecting vibration-reducing gloves suited to the specific work task.

The Eureka approach: Meet, Measure, Match

At Eureka Safety, we have developed a database of finger-specific vibration transmission curves for our glove models. By measuring the vibration frequency spectrum of a customer’s tools during actual work and comparing it with these transmission curves, we can identify which glove is best suited to the tool’s vibration characteristics. This allows us to make informed, application-specific recommendations that consider vibration reduction at the fingers, alongside the practical requirements of the task.

A tool’s declared vibration value is a useful reference, but cannot fully describe a particular task. Machine condition and maintenance, working material, fitted accessories, tool speed and applied pressure can all affect the result. We therefore measure vibration during representative performance of the actual work task, capturing the equipment’s behaviour under the customer’s working conditions.[2,8]

Our on-site approach follows three steps: Meet, Measure, Match. Trained Eureka representatives measure vibration during representative work, while our technical team analyses the data and prepares a glove-match report recommending a glove from one of our four families: Flexi, Amplitude, Vibration or Transient. The recommendation is based on the measured vibration characteristics, the glove’s vibration-reducing performance and practical requirements such as dexterity and suitability for the task. This approach helps employers make informed glove selections as part of their broader efforts to reduce vibration-related health risks.

Protecting hand function over a working lifetime

Glove selection must account for practical use. A thick or stiff construction can restrict dexterity; fit and flexibility therefore matter alongside measured vibration reduction. Keeping hands warm and dry is important where cold aggravates circulation problems. If the task involves cuts, heat or flames, the glove must also meet those protection requirements.[5,8]

Eureka’s aim is to help preserve hand function over years of work. Carefully selected vibration-reducing gloves can contribute to this goal alongside other workplace measures. However, measured glove performance cannot be directly subtracted from the worker’s calculated daily vibration exposure, A(8), or used to justify longer exposure times.[2,9]

Vibration injuries can affect work and everyday activities long after exposure has ended. This long-term perspective guides our method: understand the task vibration, assess glove response and help the customer select a glove suited to the work, while the employer continues to assess and control exposure.

Sources

1. Swedish Work Environment Authority (2026). Vibrationer från handhållna maskiner – Ett dolt arbetsmiljöproblem. Inspection Report 2026:7.
2. Swedish Work Environment Authority. Risker i arbetsmiljön, AFS 2023:10. Current consolidated text, Chapter 3 and Appendices 2 and 4.
3. Swedish Work Environment Authority. Vibrationer. Guidance on exposure assessment, action values, limit values and preventive measures.
4. Swedish Institute for Standards. SS-EN ISO 10819:2013 with SS-EN ISO 10819:2013/A2:2022 — Mechanical vibration and shock — Hand-arm vibration — Measurement and evaluation of the vibration transmissibility of gloves at the palm of the hand. A2:2022 replaces A1:2019.
5. Welcome, D. E. et al. (2016). Tool-specific performance of vibration-reducing gloves for attenuating fingers-transmitted vibration. Occupational Ergonomics, 13(1), 23–44. DOI: 10.3233/OER-160235.
6. Asaki, T. and Peterson, D. R. (2014). Selecting tool-specific vibration-reducing gloves using ISO 5349 and ISO 10819 measurements. ACHV 5 Proceedings, University of Guelph, 10–13 June 2014.
7. UK Health and Safety Executive. How employers can protect workers from hand-arm vibration.
8. UK Health and Safety Executive (1997). Vibration solutions: Practical ways to reduce the risk of hand-arm vibration injury. HSG170.
9. UK Health and Safety Executive. Hand arm vibration in Foundries (HAVS), Personal Protection. Updated 10 March 2025.
10. International Organization for Standardization. ISO 5349-1:2001 — Mechanical vibration — Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration — Part 1: General requirements.
11. International Organization for Standardization. ISO 5349-2:2001, including Amd 1:2015 — Part 2: Practical guidance for measurement at the workplace.