“My Hands Never Stop Tingling”: The Human Cost of HAVS

On a cold January morning, Mark, a groundworker with 20 years on construction sites, picks up his hammer drill. Within minutes, the familiar tingling creeps back into his fingers. By lunchtime, he can barely grip a mug of tea.

“It feels like my hands never stop buzzing,” he says. “I can’t undo a jar lid at home. I can’t even feel my kids holding my hand properly.”

Mark is one of thousands of construction workers living with Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), an irreversible condition caused by years of using vibrating tools. And while his story is far from unique, safety experts warn that many more workers could be next — unless the industry acts.

A Campaign with a Clear Message

This month, the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) launched its ‘Bad Vibrations’ campaign, aimed at raising awareness of HAVS and preventing future cases. Developed with tool manufacturers, test houses, and certification bodies, the campaign is designed to make vibration safety simple, practical, and impossible for site managers to ignore.

For too long, HAVS has been treated as an unavoidable risk of the job. BSIF wants to change that.

A Preventable Problem

Construction is one of the sectors most affected by HAVS, alongside mining, forestry, shipbuilding and engineering. Across the UK, more than two million workers are thought to be at risk. Tools like breakers, grinders, chainsaws and impact wrenches are among the worst culprits.

In 2023 alone, the Health and Safety Executive recorded 215 new cases of HAVS and 115 cases of vibration-related carpal tunnel syndrome. Once the damage is done, there’s no way back.

Yet BSIF stresses this is not inevitable. With the right controls, many of these cases could have been prevented.

Breaking the Cycle of Neglect

Too often, site teams wait until a surface fails or a worker reports symptoms before acting. This “reactive only” approach, the RAC has warned, is not only dangerous but more expensive in the long run.

The Bad Vibrations guide lays out a clear alternative:

• Assess exposure levels and look for safer tools or methods.

• Keep equipment well maintained.

• Use automation where possible.

• Provide regular health checks to spot symptoms early.

And while anti-vibration gloves are sometimes handed out as a quick fix, BSIF cautions that their protection is limited in real-world conditions.

A Duty of Care

Employers are legally bound under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 to protect staff from vibration risks. But as BSIF points out, many site managers still lack training or rely on outdated information, leaving dangerous gaps in protection.

“The tragedy,” the federation says, “is that HAVS is entirely preventable. Once workers develop it, they face a lifetime of pain and disability — but with simple measures, it doesn’t have to happen.”

Looking Ahead

For Mark, the damage has already been done. His hope is that younger workers won’t have to live with the same constant pain.

BSIF’s campaign is his best chance of that. By putting the focus back on prevention and pushing employers to act before it’s too late, Bad Vibrations aims to protect both lives and livelihoods.

Because behind every statistic lies a worker like Mark, whose hands tell the real story of what happens when bad vibrations are ignored.