Exposure limit value for vibration?

The exposure limit value for vibration is typically set by regulatory agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the United Kingdom.

In the United States, OSHA has established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for hand-arm vibration of 5 m/s2 (meters per second squared) for an 8-hour time-weighted average. For whole-body vibration, the exposure limit is 0.5 m/s2 for an 8-hour time-weighted average.

In the United Kingdom, the HSE has established an exposure action value (EAV) of 2.5 m/s2 for hand-arm vibration and 0.5 m/s2 for whole-body vibration. The exposure limit value (ELV) is set at 5 m/s2 for hand-arm vibration and 1.15 m/s2 for whole-body vibration.

It is important for employers to monitor and assess vibration levels in the workplace to ensure that workers are not exposed to levels that exceed these limits, as prolonged exposure to high levels of vibration can lead to health issues such as hand-arm vibration syndrome or whole-body vibration syndrome.

Daily Exposure Limit Value (ELV)

- 8-hour ELV for hand-arm vibration (HAV): 5 m/s² (root mean square acceleration)
- 8-hour ELV for whole-body vibration (WBV): 1.15 m/s² (root mean square acceleration)

Weekly Exposure Limit Value (WELV)

- WELV for HAV: 2.5 m/s² (root mean square acceleration)
- WELV for WBV: 0.55 m/s² (root mean square acceleration)

These limit values are set by the European Union (EU) Directive 2002/44/EC and are widely adopted by other jurisdictions.