The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Assessment of the risk to health created by vibration at the workplace

5.—(1) An employer who carries out work which is liable to expose any of his employees to risk from vibration shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk created by that work to the health and safety of those employees and the risk assessment shall identify the measures that need to be taken to meet the requirements of these Regulations.

(2) In conducting the risk assessment, the employer shall assess daily exposure to vibration by means of—

(a) observation of specific working practices;

(b) reference to relevant information on the probable magnitude of the vibration corresponding to the equipment used in the particular working conditions; and

(c) if necessary, measurement of the magnitude of vibration to which his employees are liable to be exposed,

and the employer shall assess whether any employees are likely to be exposed to vibration at or above an exposure action value or above an exposure limit value.

(3) The risk assessment shall include consideration of—

(a) the magnitude, type and duration of exposure, including any exposure to intermittent vibration or repeated shocks;

(b) the effects of exposure to vibration on employees whose health is at particular risk from such exposure;

(c) any effects of vibration on the workplace and work equipment, including the proper handling of controls, the reading of indicators, the stability of structures and the security of joints;

(d) any information provided by the manufacturers of work equipment;

(e) the availability of replacement equipment designed to reduce exposure to vibration;

(f) any extension of exposure at the workplace to whole-body vibration beyond normal working hours, including exposure in rest facilities supervised by the employer;

(g) specific working conditions such as low temperatures; and

(h) appropriate information obtained from health surveillance including, where possible, published information.

(4) The risk assessment shall be reviewed regularly, and forthwith if—

(a) there is reason to suspect that the risk assessment is no longer valid; or

(b) there has been a significant change in the work to which the assessment relates,

and where, as a result of the review, changes to the risk assessment are required, those changes shall be made.

(5) The employer shall record—

(a) the significant findings of the risk assessment as soon as is practicable after the risk assessment is made or changed; and

(b) the measures which he has taken and which he intends to take to meet the requirements of regulations 6 and 8.