Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS)

Health Surveillance

You must provide health surveillance when exposures are at or above the exposure action value (EAV) and in other circumstances where there is risk, for example, after diagnosis of HAVS and exposure continues but below the EAV.

Health surveillance can simply involve a short set of questions until, for example, signs or symptoms are detected and reported.

A health surveillance scheme must include access to a competent occupational physician. Make sure that your providers have the right qualifications and training and that you will:

• receive feedback, including notification of fitness for work with HAV for each employee under health surveillance;
• receive anonymised health surveillance results (unless groups of employees are too small to get this type of information);
• be informed of new or deteriorating cases of HAVS that are being diagnosed (with the consent of the affected person). You must report cases of HAVS and Carpel Tunnel Syndrome under RIDDOR.

Further guidance is available here.