Notes:
Hand-arm vibration comes from operating equipment such as chain saws, chipping hammers, grinders, jackhammers and hand drills. It is also called “dead hand” or “vibration white finger”. The condition involves blanching, numbness and tingling of the fingers.[i]
Thirty-one percent (31.82%) of workers complained of such numbness. One LCMCo worker complained about his hands becoming numb after holding the rock drilling machine for several hours. The welder also reports developing numbness of the hands at the end of his workday. The rule-of-thumb in occupational health is to have ten minutes of rest for every hour of work. But workers at LCMCo have to hold the drilling machine for 2-3 hours at a time. They can only rest during breaktime.
[i] Ibid.