Vibrations at work are damaging my hands

[skittleboy]

I'm a gardener and I work for an estate. I use machines like strimmers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws etc and they vibrate a lot. It's very bad for your hands, it causes 'white finger' which is when the nerves in your hands are damaged and your hands become numb/painful.

I'm 27 years old and I have been doing the job for 6 years and I'm starting to feel the effects of it. It's a horrible thing to happen to you and it's really bothering me.

What also bothers me is that absolutely everybody in my industry (except me) just accepts it. 'it's just part of the job, nothing you can do about it' they say.

I just can't understand that attitude. The way I see it I have only got 1 body and I have to look after it. I hate knowing that my hands will get worse and worse as I get older, and the damage is irreversible.

Name 1 other job that you will damage your body doing it and nobody cares. Imagine that everybody that works in a nuclear power station will get radiation poisoning. 'Just part of the job'. Well they don't because there are many precautions. People patrol the area with Geiger counters etc.

I wear ear defenders to protect my ears from the loud noise. I wear a visor to protect my eyes from debris. Whats different about my hands? Why don't the makers of machines make them so that they don't vibrate? When you drive a car the steering wheel doesn't vibrate!

Any advice? This is really bothering me. I don't want to get a new job because I enjoy gardening so much.

I really feel for you , I suffer from Raynauds so I know how painful white finger can be .
I have not tried them but I know people that have and say they are good but a bit stiff and take a day or so to get use to.

www.raynaudsdisease.com/raynauds-disease-anti-vibration-gloves-for-vibration-white-finger.html#:~:text=The%20Raynaud's%20Disease%20Anti%2DVibration,are%20sold%20as%20a%20pair.

I'm sorry, that sounds distressing. However I am not sure I understand why you are posting about it on the boards for people whose lives are being cut short by illness. I appreciate it is a very distressing situation for you, but unless I am missing something (in which case I apologise) it is a bit insensitive to post it on here where people are facing their own mortality and that of their loved ones.

Your employer does have a legal duty of care to you. Have you sought advice from ACAS or occupational health or anywhere else? PP's link sounds promising.

@AlCalavicci Thank you, I will try them. I bought an expensive pair of 'so called' anti-vibration gloves from Srewfix but they are basically normal gloves and don't reduce the vibration at all. Complete rip off. Hopefully these are different.

I think on the health and safety website they advise against wearing anti-vibration gloves but I can't imagine why.

@skittleboy , I hope they work for you , If you continue to suffer try taking Niacin ( check with docs 1st of course ) it helps to open up the capillaries, it is not something I would recommend you take daily but in the cold damp weather it may help , it takes about 20 mins to kick in ( for me anyway )

@user165423256322
While I realise that white finger isn't one of the 'big' illness's that people associate with life limiting issues , and to be honest obviously there is a lot worse things out there , White finger is caused by the fine capillaries in fingers toes nose ears etc shutting down, this in turn can damage the nerves making it impossible to grip things or tell if you have cut or burnt yourself ( I gave myself sever burn when I did not know the tray that was on the worktop had just been taken out of the oven , my mum knocked it out of my hand taking a load of skin with it )
It can in lead to permanent damage and in very bad cases gangrene meaning that amputation of fingers and toes is the only option.