If vibration levels are exceeded nerve damage and restricted blood flow to the hand and fingers can occur in as little as six months, resulting in pain, tingling and total loss of feeling in the fingers, carpal tunnel syndrome (compression of a major nerve which travels through the wrist) or Reynaud’s syndrome (restricted blood flow to the fingers). These can swiftly lead to loss of fine motor skills (doing up buttons, using a pen), reduced strength and grip and muscle wasting. This debilitating condition can impact the sufferer’s day to day life and can them struggling to work in the very industry which caused it in the first place.

Now increasingly evidence is linking a condition called Dupuytren’s contracture to the use of vibrating tools as well. Dupuytren’s appears as a permanent tightening of the muscles, tendons, skin, and nearby tissues that causes the joints to shorten and become very stiff. It mainly affects the ring and little fingers, often in both hands. It is a progressive condition, getting gradually worse, and the only treatment is surgery to straighten the fingers

Whole-body vibration occurs when the body is shaken or jolted through repeated vibration of a seat or the floor. This can happen after prolonged driving or riding on a vehicle along unmade roads, operating earth-moving machines or standing on a structure attached to a large, powerful, fixed machine which is either impacting or vibrating. Symptoms can include backache, motion sickness, fatigue, vision impairment, bone damage, digestive conditions, respiratory conditions, bladder problems, damage to the reproductive organs (it has even been linked to sill birth), heart conditions and even brain damage.