VWF - Vibration white finger Compensation

Vibration White Finger/Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Since the mid 1970s most employers have been aware that the use of hand held vibrating tools can cause damage to their employees fingers. Certain tools create excessive vibration when they are used. In particular pneumatic drills, jigger picks, kango hammers, grinding tools, needle guns, descaling guns, windy guns and nut runners amongst others are all recognised as producing excessive vibration and these could develop into VWF (Vibration White Finger).

VWF Claims

If tools of that nature are used regularly and for prolonged periods of time they can cause damage to the nerves and blood vessels in the fingers. When this happens the person using the vibrating tool frequently complains of whiteness, tingling, pins and needles and numbness in their fingers.

Often the symptoms will continue after the employee has stopped using the tools. These symptoms are often referred to as Secondary Reynaud's Phenomenon, Vibration White Finger or VWF, Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

VWF Claims

Pinto Potts have a specialist team of dedicated Solicitors who are highly skilled in dealing with VWF claims of this nature and compensation cases are handled on a No Win, No Fee basis.

Claim VWF Compensation Online

If you would like to speak to one of our Solicitors about Vibration White FInger sustained in the workplace simply call us on Freephone: 0800 316 4434 or click here to claim online.

What is Vibration White Finger (VWF)?

Vibration White Finger (VWF) is a secondary form of Raynaud's disease, an industrial injury triggered by continuous use of vibrating hand-held machinery. Vibration white finger is the vascular component hand-arm vibration syndrome or HAVS.

VWF is characterized by episodic blanching of the fingers in response to cold. Other symptoms can include numbness, tingling (parasthesia) and pain in the hands and fingers, but these are now believed to be a separate neurologic component of HAVS. The thumb is not normally affected. Smoking and stress are also thought to be factors. There are various medications that cause Raynaud's Disease, including beta blocker drugs, and various diseases, such as scleroderma, that can have similar symptoms. These other causes must be ruled out before a diagnosis of vibration white finger can be arrived at. In extreme cases, the sufferer may lose fingers. The effect is cumulative. When symptoms first appear, they may disappear after a short time. If exposure to vibration continues over months or years, the symptoms can become worse and become permanently present.

The first scale for assessing the condition was published in 1975- the Taylor-Pelmear scale, but it was not listed as a prescribed disease in the United Kingdom until 1985, and the Stockholm scale introduced in 1987. In 1997 the Miners High Court awarded £127,000 in compensation to seven coal miners for vibration white finger. A UK government fund set up to cover subsequent claims by ex-coalminers had exceeded £100 million in payments by 2004.

The European Union passed Directive 2002/44/EC in 2002 on the minimum health and safety requirements for workers exposed to vibrations, to be ratified by July 2005.

The effect of legislation on worker vibration limits is intended to drive employers to provide better-designed, better-maintained tools, and to train workers appropriately. It also drives tool designers to innovate to reduce vibration. One example is the suspension mechanism designed into chainsaws.

What is Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS)

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is vibration which reaches the hands whilst working with handheld power tools, hand-guided machinery, or by holding materials against a moving surface.

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is the collective term for a range of long-term injuries to arms, hands, wrists, fingers or thumbs resulting from prolonged exposure to hand transmitted vibration. Damage occurs to the circulation and nerve supply to the hands, the symptoms of which include blanching (whitening), numbness, tingling and loss of nerve function.

Vibration White Finger (VWF), the most well known form of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome or (HAVS), results from damage to the blood circulatory system. Typically, fingers become white when cold and then red and painful when warmed up again.

It is estimated that around five million people are exposed to hand arm vibration (HAVS) with some two million being regularly exposed at levels where there are clear risks of developing disease.

The news stories published on our website are done so for the interest of our visitors, stories we publish have been widely reported in the media. By us publishing a story on this website does not infer or suggest that Pinto Potts LLP Solicitors have any knowledge or involvement with cases or persons mentioned.

If you would like to speak to one of our personal injury Solicitors for free legal advice, call us now on Freephone: 0800 316 4434 or click here to make an online enquiry.

Claim VWF Compensation Online

We help thousands of people throughout the UK make personal Injury Claims because of Vibration White Finger (VWF) every year. Our service is totally risk and cost free, there are no catches, no fees, no deductions and no middlemen, win or lose you will not be asked to pay a penny. See No Win, No Fee for more information. If you would like to speak to one of our Solicitors about Vibration White FInger sustained in the workplace simply call us on Freephone: 0800 316 4434 or click here to claim online.