【Haichuan Safety Discussion】Do you know what vibration disease is?

Experts warn that workers who are exposed to local vibration over long periods of time should pay attention to using proper personal protective measures to avoid contracting the occupational disease known as arm vibration disease. Disease control experts explain that impact tools, such as rock drills, air hammers, and rammers ； Rotary tools, such as electric drills, pneumatic drills, drilling machines, etc ； Fixed rotary tools, such as grinders, polishers, chainsaws, and similar devices, all generate localized vibrations. Since the local vibrations generated by mechanical equipment during operation mainly affect areas such as the hands and feet, they can cause harm to the human nervous system, cardiovascular system, as well as skeletal and muscular systems. They can lead to decreased concentration and increased fatigue among workers, as well as deformation and spasms in the blood vessels in those areas, and may even result in vibration white finger. The prevention of arm vibration disease mainly involves reforming the manufacturing processes and adopting technical measures to reduce or isolate vibrations, thereby eliminating the vibrations from their sources; this is the fundamental approach to preventing occupational hazards related to vibrations. It is also necessary to improve the working environment and enhance personal protection; for example, in winter, raise the temperature of the vibrating working environment as well as the handles of vibrating tools, and make proper use of anti-vibration gloves. Disease control experts say that there is currently no specific treatment for arm vibration disease. Vibratory white finger is a condition caused by long-term use of vibrating tools, characterized primarily by neurovascular damage at the fingertips. Generally, after exposure to cold, the patient’s fingers experience numbness, swelling, and pain; they also change from grayish-white to pale, with the changes spreading from the distal end toward the proximal end. The affected area has clear boundaries, and these symptoms can last from a few minutes to several dozen minutes. Afterwards, the pale color gradually gives way to a rosy hue, and the fingers return to their normal color. The common sites of vibratory white finger are the distal phalanges of the index, middle, and ring fingers; it can also affect the proximal phalanges, causing the entire finger to turn white, which is why it is referred to as a \"dead finger\" or \"dead hand\". News Recommendations

III. How to control protective vibration disease 1. Adopt correct operating methods that meet ergonomic requirements. 2. Use anti-vibration gloves and shock-absorbing seats. 3. Reduce working hours; the exposure limit of 4 hours should not exceed 5 m/s2. 4. Keep warm. 5. Reform the process to minimize the vibration speed as much as possible. Control the vibration source to avoid resonance, and employ damping and isolation measures. If new processes such as welding are used to replace riveting ； Hydraulic sand cleaning is used in place of air blower sand cleaning ； The metal parts of the tool are made of plastic or rubber materials to reduce impact vibrations. 6. Conduct proper occupational health examinations. A occupational health examination is conducted before starting work; if multiple peripheral neuropathy or Raynaud’s disease is detected, working with vibrations should be avoided. During employment, a occupational health examination is conducted every two years; if symptoms suggestive of arm vibration disease or multiple peripheral neuropathies are detected, the employee is promptly reassigned to another role. Conduct occupational health examinations upon leaving the job to clarify responsibilities, so as to avoid disputes over liability if employees are found to have occupational diseases after leaving their positions.

There are quite a variety of occupational diseases! Thank you for the advice!