We are personal injury solicitors specialising in claiming compensation for clients with Vibration White Finger. Catherine Smith has experience with Vibration White Finger claims, and introduces our services in this video.

Read more about Vibration White Finger at work below, or use our free legal advice service opposite to ask us a question or to get started making a claim.

Claiming Compensation For Vibration White Finger

Vibration White Finger (VWF) is an industrial disease, and a major part of the disorder now known as Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). Both conditions are normally caused by prolonged and excessive use of vibrating hand-held machinery in the workplace. They can affect anyone who has used vibrating power tools at work repetitively or for extended periods. The vibrations damage nerves and blood vessels in the arms, hands, wrists, fingers and thumbs, often causing progressive and irreparable damage over time. Vibration White Finger is also a form of Raynaud's phenomenon, where the blood supply to extremities such as the fingers is disrupted, potentially causing skin ulcers and long-term bone, joint and muscle deterioration.

Common Symptoms Of Vibration White Finger

With Vibration White Finger, the blood cells, nerves and muscles in the fingers and thumbs will have been damaged to some extent, and these joints will suffer periodic lack of blood supply, causing muscle spasms and loss of sensation. Other major symptoms include tingling in the hands, pins and needles, aching, numbness, sensitivity to cold, periodic changes in skin colour and the appearance of white patches on the tips of the fingers. The major practical effects of Vibration White Finger include loss of manual dexterity and reduced strength of grip, both of which may accelerate over time, impairing both the victim's ability to work and perform basic daily tasks.

Vibration White Finger In The Workplace

Workers in a wide variety of professions may develop Vibration White Finger, from a shoemaker using machinery to cut leather, to a dental assistant repetitively using a tooth polisher. Common tools which have been shown to cause the disease include pneumatic and power drills, jack hammers, sanding machines, chainsaws, electrical grinders and garden strimmers. Construction, factory and road maintenance workers in particular risk developing the condition, and it has been estimated that up to 2 million people in the UK are exposed to potentially dangerous levels of hand-arm vibration in their place of work.

Employers are required by law not to expose workers to unsafe levels of vibration when using work tools and machinery. The relevant legislation in this area includes:

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998

The Benefits Of Using A Firm Of No Win No Fee Solicitors

Vibration White Finger Compensation

A Vibration White Finger compensation claim must be made within 3 years of the date that a person become aware of their condition, and the fact that exposure to vibrations in the workplace may have caused it. There is a standard scientific method for measuring the severity of Vibration White Finger, called the Stockholm Workshop Scale, which takes into account factors such as acceleration amplitude, vibration duration and the vascular and sensory effects of the condition on individual hands, fingers and thumbs. Vibration White Finger claims can be pursued against one or more employers for any period after 1976, the year when a duty of care was placed on employers to protect workers from the effects dangerous levels of vibration in the workplace.

Bartletts Solicitors have been protecting and supporting clients for 150 years and enjoy a reputation nationwide for trusted legal advice. We are specialists in Vibration White Finger compensation claims having successfully represented injured employees across a range of industries. Call us today on 0800 158 2454 for a free consultation regarding your case or to begin a claim. You can also contact us for free legal advice via our new Live Chat function.

Find Out More About: Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome