EN ISO 5349 Mechanical Vibration - Measurement and Assessment of Human Exposure to Hand-Transmitted Vibration

The standard “ISO 5349 Mechanical vibration - Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to manually transmitted vibration”, which is based on a European standard and later published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), consists of the following subsections published under the same title:

• The standard "EN ISO 5349-1 Part 1: General requirements" describes the general requirements for measuring and reporting hand-conducted vibration exposure along three orthogonal axes. This standard defines a frequency weighting and band-limiting filter to allow for accurate comparison of measurements. The resulting values ​​can be used to estimate the adverse effects of hand-conducted vibration in the frequency range covered by the octave bands from 8 Hz to 1000 Hz.

This standard is applicable to periodic and random or aperiodic vibration. Temporally, this standard is also applicable to repeated shock-type stimulation (impact). The time dependence of human response to repeated shocks is not fully known. Application of this standard to such vibrations should be undertaken with caution.

This standard provides guidance for the assessment of manually transmitted vibration exposure, expressed in terms of frequency-weighted vibration acceleration and daily exposure duration. It does not define safe vibration exposure limits. Annex C deals with the approximate relative importance of various characteristics of vibration exposure believed to produce health effects.

The method specified in this standard takes into account the following factors known to influence the effects of exposure to hand-transmitted vibration under working conditions:

• Frequency spectrum of vibration
• The magnitude of the vibration
• Exposure time per working day
• Cumulative exposure to date

Other factors that may influence the effects of vibration exposure but for which there are not yet standardized methods for reporting are listed in Annex D.

Measurement of manually transmitted vibration should be performed using instrumentation that complies with the requirements of ISO 8041. This equipment should be checked for correct operation before and after use. Calibration should be traceable to a recognized standard maintained by an accredited laboratory.

A vibration transducer may be an accelerometer designed for general vibration measurements (for non-percussive instruments) or it may be specifically designed for large peak accelerations, such as those produced by percussive instruments. Vibration transducers must be able to withstand a range of vibration magnitudes and have stable characteristics. The transducer dimensions must not interfere with machine operation and must be such that the measurement point can be located.

• The standard "EN ISO 5349-2 Part 2: Practical guidance for measurement at work" describes guidelines for measuring and assessing hand-transmitted vibration in the workplace in accordance with ISO 5349-1. This standard specifies measures for determining the daily exposure time for each task to take representative vibration measurements and calculate the 8-hour energy equivalent vibration total value (daily vibration exposure). This standard provides a means of identifying the relevant tasks to be considered when determining vibration exposure. This standard applies to all situations where people are exposed to vibration transmitted to the hand-arm system by hand-held or hand-guided machinery, vibrating workpieces, or the controls of mobile or stationary machinery.

An operator's work at a workplace consists of a series of operations, some of which may be repetitive. Vibration exposure can vary significantly from one operation to another due to the use of different power tools or machines or the different operating modes of a power tool or machine. To assess daily vibration exposure, it is first necessary to identify the operations that are likely to contribute significantly to overall vibration exposure. Then, procedures for measuring vibration exposure for each of these operations must be determined. The methods used will depend on the characteristics of the work environment, the work routine, and the vibration source.

• The standard "EN ISO 5349-3 Part 3: Isolated and repeated shocks using the ISO 5349-1 frequency range" provides information and guidance on the assessment and measurement of manually transmitted shock. For the purposes of this standard, manually transmitted shock is any pulsating or sudden vibration produced by a machine or tool as a sequence of single events (isolated shocks) and associated with periods of no vibration or lower vibration. This standard defines parameters for the assessment of machine emissions from manually transmitted shocks in the frequency range covered by ISO 5349-1 (nominally 6,3 Hz to 1 250 Hz). Shock vibration is often known to contain significant levels of high-frequency vibration energy.

The EN ISO 5349 standard is essential primarily because it provides internationally accepted guidelines for assessing the risk of hand-arm vibration exposure. This is important for protecting worker health and ensuring workplace safety. The key reasons for this standard's importance are:

• Protection against health hazards: Prolonged exposure to hand-transmitted vibration (e.g. from power tools or machinery) can lead to hand-arm vibration syndrome, which includes:
  • Vascular disorders (e.g. white finger)
  • Nerve damage
  • Musculoskeletal disorders

The ISO 5349 standard helps prevent these by providing measurement techniques and exposure assessment methods.

• Standardized measurement methods: This standard defines how to measure vibration, what equipment to use, and where the measurement should be taken, whether on a handheld or instrument. This ensures reliable, repeatable, and comparable results across industries and countries.
• Regulatory compliance: Many national occupational safety regulations reference or are based on the ISO 5349 standard. Employers must assess vibration exposure to comply with health and safety laws. For example,
  • EU physical factors (vibration) directive
  • OSHA guidelines in the USA (through adapted applications)
• Supports risk assessment and control measures: This standard enables organizations to:
  • Determining vibration risk levels
  • Determining exposure times
  • Implementing mitigation measures (e.g., better vehicle design, job rotation, anti-vibration gloves)
• Occupational health surveillance: This standard supports long-term monitoring of worker exposure and the effectiveness of safety controls. It helps occupational health professionals make informed decisions about fitness for work and potential health effects.

Ultimately, the ISO 5349 standard is essential to manage occupational risks associated with hand-arm vibration, promote worker safety, ensure legal compliance, and enable standardization of exposure assessment worldwide.

Our organization, which has been supporting businesses across all sectors for years through a wide range of testing, measurement, analysis, and evaluation activities, has a strong team of employees who closely follow global developments in science and technology and are constantly improving themselves. In this context, we also provide testing services to businesses in accordance with the ISO 5349 Mechanical vibration - Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to manually transmitted vibration standard.