Abstract

Repeated or long-term use of vibrating tools may cause a variety of hand, wrist and fore-arm pathologies involving connective tissue or the circulatory, nervous, skeletal or muscular systems. With the development of a test bed for portable grinders in 1988, it became possible to define the general principles underlying the laboratory measurement of the vibration produced by vibrating tools of a given type.

This objective comparison of vibration should motivate manufacturers to produce tools which produce less vibration, and promote the implementation of purchasing policies which favour less harmful tools. The project also provides the CSST(Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec, Québec Occupational and Safety Commission) with data on which to base regulatory action.