Vibrations are divided into Whole-Body and Hand-Arm Vibration. The amount of vibration you are subjected to during the day is called the daily exposure dose, which is denominated A(8) [m/s²].

The individual A(8) exposure may not exceed a value called the Limit Value. There is also a lower limit, which is called the Action Value. The EU directive stipulates the following levels of the Action Value and the Limit Value:

Hand-arm vibration;     Action Value = 2.5 m/s², Limit Value = 5 m/s²
Whole-body vibration; Action Value = 0.5 m/s², Limit Value = 1.3 m/s²

Click here to calculate your daily A (8) exposure.

If the A(8) exposure is higher than the Action Value, the employer must offer medical health surveillance an issue a preventive measure programme (take Actions) to reduce the daily exposure dose below this level.

An employer cannot exclude itself from medical health surveillance (or preventive measures) if the daily A(8) exposure is below the Action Value. This is clearly stated in the EU directive. It also says that an exposure below the Action Value does not guarantee that it is safe. It even says that it is common in some industries that you can get damages even though the exposure is below the Action Value.

The A/8) exposure dose is a calculated number based on the tool vibration data (the emission level) and the duration, i.e. how long it is operated during one day.

To find out how much a tool vibrates (the emission level), you can either look in the manufacturer's data sheet or search in different databases. A Swedish database can be found at Umeå University.