No HAVS Beens

Chris Booth literally has a battle on his hands. He’s currently suffering from HAVS. He’s been battling the ACC (Accident Compensation Commission) here in New Zealand for the past 18 months with little if any bureaucratic movement at the proverbial inn.

It’s a disgrace. Why? Because with a little bit of common sense shown by this BGD (big Government Department) his Claim could be processed and my offering the crass but pointed observation that the Department would meet ONE more April sign-off target before the end of the month might indeed be considered a good outcome. Or so you’d think!

Primary Raynaud’s Phenomenon (Raynaud’s Disease)

“Around 1862 Primary Raynaud’s Phenomenon (Raynaud’s Disease) was identified by Dr Maurice Raynaud. It’s a disorder of blood circulation in the fingers and toes (less commonly of the ears and nose). This condition may be aggravated by exposure to cold. Such exposure abnormally reduces blood circulation causing the skin to become pale, waxy-white or purple.

This doesn’t bode well for Chris because despite living in one of the sunniest regions in New Zealand (approx 2100 hrs p.a) it can get very chilly too, frosty even! Ask any winegrower round here, no sooner has the summer finished than you’re in frost-protection mode

Raynaud also wrote a thesis on ‘Local Asphyxia and Symmetrical Gangrene of the Extremities’ which identified the clinical condition of ‘dead hand’ better known as ‘white finger’. Between 1940 and 1950′ there was an awareness of Secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon or more recently described as HAVS.

It took some twenty-odd years on before Dr. William Taylor hosted the 1st International Hand-Arm Vibration Conference in Dundee, Scotland in 1972 because he wanted to establish an International Forum to publicly present and discuss the results of research that addressed the medical, epidemiological, engineering, and legal aspects of HAVS.

Vibration White Finger

In 1980 in the U.K. ‘Vibration White Finger’ became a prescribed industrial disease following the research paper published for the Health & Safety Executive by Professor Mike Griffin of Southampton University. Two years later The Social Security Act recognised Carpel Tunnel Syndrome associated with the use of vibrating tools as a prescribed industrial disease.

Internal Standards Organisation (ISO) 5349 Mechanical Vibration Guidelines for the Measurement and the assessment of Exposure to Hand Transmitted Vibration.

It was another four years before the introduction of Internal Standards Organisation (ISO) 5349 Mechanical Vibration Guidelines for the Measurement and the assessment of Exposure to Hand Transmitted Vibration. In 1987 the British Standards Council published BS6842 establishing guide lines and preventative measures to reduce employees developing HAVS and also the Stockholm Workshop 86 (1987) introduced a staging scale for progression of HAVS.

Dr. Peter L. Pelmear was the Chief Physician with the MOL, Canada until about 1992. He then moved to the Occupational & Environmental Health Unit at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto where he worked until he retired. Following his retirement he returned to England. He is an internationally renown medical expert in the area of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome. He and the late Dr. William Taylor developed the first Medical Classification Scale for persons afflicted with HAVS, known as the Taylor-Pelmear Scale; this scale is utilised world-wide.

It was in the early 1990s in the UK that the statutory Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) re-examined the prescription for Vibration White Finger and was concerned that the prescription did not reflect the nerve (neurological) damage involved, only looking at the blood vessel (vascular) damage. This is often described as the difference between VWF (mostly a vascular disease) and HAVS (which includes the neurological component). Unions representing mine workers fought a long legal battle with British Coal in the 1990s to secure civil compensation for miners who were affected by HAVS.

In 1992 there was an Introduction of Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations requiring employers to carry out assessments of any risk to the health and safety of their employees and establish appropriate control measures to minimise the risk. Where risk can’t be eliminated the employer had a duty to provide information and training about the risk and carry out health surveillance (MHSWR).

Supply of Machinery Safety Regulations 1992 (SMSR)

Supply of Machinery Safety Regulations 1992 (SMSR) required Manufacturers to provide information of vibration levels of hand held or guided tools that are likely to subject operators to vibration levels (Ah, w) that exceed 2.5 m/s2.” The HAVS history continues tomorrow but I’d like you to keep in mind, there is a very real HUMAN story here. The story of Chris Booth who’s no HAV Been! He’s fighting for his health, his sanity and a family that deserves better. He deserves better!

* This is 3 of a 4 part blog. The NEXT blog is entitled ‘To HAV and to Hold’