Vibration White Finger (Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome)
What is it?
Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) causes symptoms in fingers, hands and arms caused
by vibrating tools. It used to be called 'vibration white finger'. The name was
changed to HAVS as other symptoms may occur in addition to white fingers. It is
caused by holding constantly vibrating equipment which in time affects the nerves
in the hands and fingers (sensorineural damage) and also affects circulation (vascular
damage). It has been estimated that up to 1 in 10 people who work regularly with
vibrating tools may develop HAVS.
The condition is usually brought on by cold conditions and results in ‘attacks’
of whiteness in the fingers, accompanied by tingling and numbness. The extent and
pattern of those symptoms determine the extent or ‘staging’ of the condition.
Once someone has been caused Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome beyond ‘Stage 1’ (of a
scale between 1 and 4) the condition becomes irreversible even after coming off
the tools.
How to tell whether someone has Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome
A vascular surgeon assesses a person’s manual dexterity and sensitivity to temperature
change. In addition, he will test a person’s circulation and take a full detailed
history of the symptoms, and he will also consider whether is any other cause explained
by excessive smoking, medication or other circulation difficulties and will then
produce an opinion.
The classic symptoms are of pins and needles sensations in the fingers together
with whiteness/blanching of the fingertips.
The medical assessment usually lasts about 30 minutes.
How does a claim work?
The starting point is to complete the online questionnaire
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Once you have submitted your enquiry we will tell you what your chances of making
a successful claim will be and we will contact you with details of an appropriate
solicitor, who will get in touch over the next couple of days.