Hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is an internationally widespread industrial disease affecting tens of thousands of manual workers. Caused by over-use of vibrating machinery, hand arm vibration syndrome affects the nerves, blood vessels, joints and muscles of the hand, wrist and arm – with symptoms including numbness, loss of movement in the affected area and painful throbbing during periods of cold weather.

Hand arm vibration syndrome can have an effect on your whether you use a rapidly vibrating tool for a short period of time or a gently vibrating tool over a longer period, and regulations have been brought in Ireland as part of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2007) to control the number of hours an employee is limited to using various types of machinery.

These “daily exposure limits” not only relate to the different types of machinery, but also to the groups of employees who are using them – with lower daily exposure limits applicable to pregnant women, young workers and those with an existing blood disorder (i.e. diabetes) amongst others, and vibrating tools and machinery required to display their “exposure limit value” in order that employees and employers can measure their risk to hand arm vibration syndrome.

Despite these regulations, employers may not always assess the risks to their employees effectively. Where machinery is not maintained adequately or there is a lack of training, employers are in breach of the health and safety regulations. Particularly when an employer directs an employee to work beyond their daily exposure limit, they run the risk of being sued for hand arm vibration syndrome compensation.

Claiming Compensation for Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome

Before considering claiming for compensation for hand arm vibration syndrome, your first concern should be that of your health and you should seek medical advice from your family doctor. If you explain to them what you do for a living, they should be able to confirm that you indeed have a form of hand arm vibration syndrome and tell you to stop using the machine(s) which is causing it. Where the complaint has been caused by employer negligence, you are entitled to claim hand arm vibration syndrome compensation.

Once your condition has been diagnosed by a doctor, you should then speak to personal injury claims solicitor. Hand arm vibration syndrome can be a very painful experience, in its severest form meaning that the sufferer loses the use of their fingers. Compensation for hand arm vibration syndrome can be sought through the Injuries Board of Ireland, but due to the many different levels of injury there are for hand arm vibration syndrome, claims are better made with the assistance of a solicitor.

In order to answer any questions you may have in relation to compensation for hand arm vibration syndrome, we have set up a free advice service. This telephone service enables you to speak with an experienced personal injury claims solicitor and receive free, helpful advice about your entitlement to compensation for hand arm vibration syndrome.

Call us now or if you cannot speak now please fill in the form on the left and we will call you back.

Our Promise to You:

What You Can Expect When You Call

You call will be dealt with directly by a personal injury claims solicitor who will be familiar with injuries associated with hand arm vibration syndrome and the procedures for claiming compensation for them.

We will ask you to explain the circumstances leading up to your hand arm vibration syndrome, the severity at which it has been diagnosed and what course of action has been recommended by your doctor.

We will assess if there is a claim for hand arm vibration syndrome compensation which it is worth your while to pursue, advise you of the length of time that the claim may take to process and give you a general indication of the level of compensation we would expect you to receive.

You may wish to take your time to absorb this information. Clients have stated in the past that they were apprehensive about making a claim for compensation against an employer, but by using a personal injury claims solicitor to do it for them, found there was no animosity in the workplace on their return.

Should you decide to proceed with a claim for hand arm vibration syndrome compensation, we will be happy to guide you through the procedures involved to ensure that you receive a fair and adequate award of compensation for the physical trauma you have experienced.

Your next step should be to call our free advice telephone service. Our lines are open from 8.00am to 10.00pm or there is the facility available to leave your details in the call-back box below and one of our helpful team will get back in touch.