£227,000 fine for hand arm vibration cases.

Asset International Limited, a pipe manufacturing company based in Newport, was fined £227,724 (inc.costs) for seven instances of safety failings caused by the use of vibrating tools.

The circumstances were:

• Employees of Asset International Limited used vibrating tools.
• Neither a sufficient risk assessment nor health surveillance had been carried out.
• Proper training had not been carried out and there were no practical controls to reduce vibration risk.
• There were seven reported cases of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) between April 2014 and July 2015.

The HSE inspector said: “The serious and irreversible risks from Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome caused by work with vibrating tools are well known and guidance has been in place since the early 1990s. This case shows there is no excuse for not putting in place a management system which includes risk assessment, control measures, health surveillance and information and training to reduce these risks to as low a level as is reasonably practicable.”