If employees use vibrating tools, machinery or equipment, Clarity helps you identify early signs of vibration-related ill health and build a practical health-surveillance programme around your workplace risks.
Your programme is aligned to roles, tools, exposure data and your vibration risk assessment—not a generic screening process.
On-site, mobile and clinic options help minimise travel, downtime and disruption across single or multiple locations.
Receive relevant workplace outcomes and practical recommendations that help your team understand what action may be needed.
Coordinate HAVS with other relevant health-surveillance services to simplify planning and reduce administration.
Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome, or HAVS, is a preventable work-related condition linked to regular exposure to hand-transmitted vibration. It can affect the nerves, blood vessels, muscles and joints in the hands and arms.
A structured surveillance programme can help identify concerns early, giving employers an opportunity to review exposure, tools, working methods and control measures before symptoms become more serious.
HAVS surveillance supports your overall risk-control approach. It does not replace the need to reduce vibration at source, choose suitable equipment, maintain tools, plan work appropriately and manage exposure time.
Your employees may need a HAVS programme if your risk assessment shows they are exposed to hand-arm vibration that could create a risk to health, even after existing controls have been considered.
Suitable surveillance may be appropriate for employees who:
Are likely to be regularly exposed at or above the Exposure Action Value
May occasionally exceed the Exposure Action Value where the risk assessment identifies a health risk
Have a diagnosis of HAVS or another factor that increases their vulnerability, even where exposure is lower
Use vibrating tools frequently, for prolonged periods or across varied work activities
HAVS surveillance is not a one-off test. It is a planned programme of baseline screening, periodic review and appropriate clinical follow-up where an employee’s symptoms or risk profile indicate that further assessment may be needed.
Baseline questionnaires – Capturing relevant exposure history, symptoms and health information when someone starts vibration-exposed work or joins the programme.
Clinical assessment – More detailed assessment of the hands and arms where symptoms, concerns or higher-risk findings are identified.
Staging and classification – Where appropriate, assessing the severity and nature of symptoms to inform management decisions and clinical follow-up.
Further investigation or referral – Arranging additional assessment where clinically indicated.
Our clinicians guide employees through the process, explain what to expect and keep their health information confidential. Employers receive the outcome information and practical recommendations needed to manage workplace action appropriately.
Choose an assessment approach that suits your workforce, locations, shift patterns and operational requirements.
We bring the service to your workplace, helping reduce travel and making attendance easier to manage around operational schedules.
Flexible capacity for larger programmes, dispersed workforces, temporary sites and multi-location operations.
Clinic access for individual assessments, follow-up requirements, smaller workforces or employees who cannot attend site-based sessions.
Where workers face more than one occupational-health risk, HAVS surveillance can be coordinated with other relevant services. This can simplify scheduling, reduce duplicated administration and make it easier to plan workforce health activity across the year.
HAVS surveillance should give you more than a completed questionnaire. Clarity gives employees clear information about their outcome and next steps, while employers receive concise, workplace-relevant reporting that supports proportionate decisions around exposure and follow-up.
Following HAVS assessments, Clarity provides:
A clear HAVS outcome (including stage, where applicable)
Advice on exposure control, restrictions or adjustments
Recommendations for further investigation or specialist referral where needed
Aggregate information to help you understand trends and refine your vibration‑control strategy
This gives you a robust, defensible position on how you identify and manage hand‑arm vibration risk, and a practical basis for protecting your people over the long term.
Whether you are putting a new HAVS programme in place, reviewing your current provider or responding to a change in workplace exposure, Clarity can help.
We will take time to understand your workforce, tools, vibration risks, locations and working arrangements, then help you put in place a programme that is practical, proportionate and designed around your organisation.
HAVS health surveillance is an ongoing programme of health checks for employees exposed to hand-transmitted vibration. It is designed to identify early signs of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome and other vibration-related health concerns, so employers can review exposure and controls before problems become more serious.
Suitable health surveillance should be provided where employees are likely to be regularly exposed to hand-arm vibration above the daily Exposure Action Value of 2.5 m/s2 A(8), where they may occasionally exceed that level and the risk assessment identifies a health risk, or where they have an existing HAVS diagnosis or other particular vulnerability.
Workers who use vibrating tools or equipment may need HAVS surveillance. This can include employees using breakers, grinders, drills, impact wrenches, chainsaws, compactors and hand-guided machinery across industries such as construction, engineering, utilities, manufacturing, maintenance, forestry and landscaping.
Assessments typically include a questionnaire covering symptoms, work history and vibration exposure. Depending on the outcome, this may be followed by a more detailed clinical assessment of circulation, sensation, dexterity and hand or arm function, with further investigation or referral where clinically indicated.
Frequency should be based on the employee’s vibration exposure, role, symptoms and previous findings. Many programmes include a baseline assessment followed by periodic reviews, commonly annually, with more frequent follow-up where risks or early changes are identified.
If early signs are identified, an occupational health professional will consider appropriate follow-up. This may include reviewing exposure, strengthening controls and work practices, applying temporary restrictions or adjustments, arranging further clinical assessment, or referral where needed.
Clarity provides HAVS surveillance nationwide through on-site delivery, mobile medical units and clinic appointments. We will help you choose a delivery method that works around your sites, shifts and workforce availability.
Yes. HAVS surveillance information is handled under clinical-governance and data-protection arrangements. Employees’ medical information remains confidential, while managers receive appropriate outcome and workplace-action information rather than full clinical records.
Tell us about your workforce, sites and requirements. We will call you to discuss a practical occupational health solution and the most suitable delivery options.
Tell us your workforce size, locations and main risks. We’ll recommend a practical delivery model and respond within one working day.
Telephone
Email