ADOSH-SF Code of Practice CoP 3.1 - Vibration

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Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety and
Health System Framework
(ADOSH-SF)
Code of Practice
CoP 3.1 - Vibration
Version 4.0
July 2024

ADOSH-SF – Codes of Practice - CoP 3.1 – Vibration
Version 4.0 – 15 th July 2024 Page 2 of 16
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Training and Competency ........................................................................................................................... 4
3. Requirements .................................................................................................................................................. 5
3.1. Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................................................. 5
3.2. Exposure Limit Values and Action Values ................................................................................... 5
3.3. Assessment of the Risk to Health Created by Vibration in the Workplace ..................... 6
3.4. Health Surveillance .............................................................................................................................. 8
4. Record Keeping ............................................................................................................................................... 9
5. References ..................................................................................................................................................... 10
6. Document Amendment Record ............................................................................................................... 11
Schedule A: Hand-Arm Vibration .................................................................................................................... 12
Schedule B: Whole-Body Vibration ................................................................................................................ 14

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1. Introduction
(a) This Code of Practice (CoP) applies to all employers within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
This CoP is designed to incorporate requirements set by UAE and Abu Dhabi
Regulatory Authorities. If requirements of this document conflict with requirements
set by another regulatory authority, employers are required to follow the more
stringent requirement.
(b) This CoP establishes the requirements and control measures to ensure that the risks
associated with the exposure to vibration are minimized and that control measures
are implemented in accordance with the hierarchy of control measures in order to
prevent injury, illness and disease to persons who might be exposed to risks arising
from exposure to vibration.
(c) It covers all worksites where person(s) could have an exposure to vibration at any
level. Worksites include, but are not limited to construction, maintenance,
manufacturing and operation of heavy plant and equipment, vehicles and trucks.

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2. Training and Competency
(a) Employers shall ensure that OSH training complies with the requirements of:
(i) ADOSH-SF – Element 5 – Training, Awareness and Competency;
(ii) ADOSH-SF – Mechanism 7.0 – Occupational Safety and Health Practitioner and
Service Provider Registration.
(b) Where risk assessment indicates that employees are/or likely to be exposed to
vibration, at or above the action level, the employer shall:
(i) provide training on vibration exposure limit values and action levels set by this
CoP;
(ii) identify the significant findings of the risk assessment, including any
measurements taken, with an explanation of those findings;
(iii) inform and educate employees on the signs and symptoms of vibration related
injuries and the process for reporting and getting treatment for vibration
related injuries;
(iv) inform employees on their entitlement to appropriate health surveillance as
required by this CoP and ADOSH-SF – CoP 5.0 – Occupational Health Screening
and Medical Surveillance; and
(v) provide training on safe working practices and other control measures to
minimize exposure to and injury from exposure to vibration.
(c) The information, instruction, and training shall take account of significant changes in
the type of work carried out or the work methods used by the employers.
(d) Employers shall ensure that any visitors, contractors, or temporary employees are
trained as needed to minimize exposure to vibration.
(e) Employees who are/or likely to be exposed to vibration at or above the action level
shall receive annual refresher training as per the requirements of Section 2(b) of this
document.

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3. Requirements
3.1. Roles and Responsibilities
3.1.1. Employers
(a) Employers shall undertake their roles and responsibilities in accordance with the
general requirements of
ADOSH-SF – Element 1 – Roles, Responsibilities and Self-
Regulation Section 3.2.5.
(b) Where reasonably practicable, employers shall eliminate vibration hazards by
purchasing low vibration producing equipment, maintaining equipment to
manufactures specifications, erecting barriers, or implementing other control
measures to eliminate / reduce vibration hazards.
(c) Employers shall ensure when employees are subjected to vibration exceeding limits
set in Section 3.2, reasonably practicable control measures shall be utilized.
(d) Employers shall ensure employees are protected from vibration hazards.
(e) Employers shall ensure defective equipment, or equipment that requires maintenance
is reported to the appropriate department for repair or replacement.
3.1.2. Employees
(a) Employees shall undertake their roles and responsibilities in accordance with the
general requirements of
ADOSH-SF – Element 1 – Roles, Responsibilities and Self-
Regulation Section 3.2.7.
(b) Employees shall report any activity or equipment defect relating to vibration
exposures which they believe is reasonably practicable to cause an overexposure to
themselves or another person.
(c) Employees shall use appropriate vibration protection, equipment or safety devices
provided by the employer in accordance with any training or instruction received.
3.2. Exposure Limit Values and Action Values
3.2.1. Hand-Arm Vibration
(a) The daily exposure limit shall be ascertained on the basis set out in Schedule A Part I.
(b) The daily exposure limit value for hand-arm vibration is 5m/s 2 A(8).
(c) The daily exposure action value for hand-arm vibration is 2.5m/s 2 A(8).

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3.2.2. Whole Body Vibration:
(a) The daily exposure limit shall be ascertained on the basis set out in Schedule B Part I.
(b) The daily exposure limit value for whole body vibration is 1.15m/s2 A(8).
(c) The daily exposure action value for whole body vibration is 0.5m/s 2 A(8).
3.3. Assessment of the Risk to Health Created by Vibration in the Workplace
(a) Employers who carry out work which is liable to expose any of their employees to risk
from vibration shall ensure appropriate risk assessment is undertaken, in accordance
with
ADOSH-SF – Element 2 – Risk Management. The risk assessment shall identify
the control measures that need to be taken to meet the requirements of this CoP.
(b) In conducting the risk assessment, the employer shall assess daily exposures to
vibration to determine if employees are to be exposed to vibration at or above the
action level or above the exposure limit value. Assessment shall be by means of:
(i) observation of specific working practices;
(ii) reference to relevant information (e.g. equipment specifications, scientific
studies, etc.) on the probable magnitude of the vibration corresponding to the
equipment used in the particular working conditions; and
(iii) if necessary; measurement of the magnitude of vibration to which employees
are liable to be exposed.
(c) The risk assessment shall include consideration of:
(i) the magnitude, type and duration of exposure, including any exposure to
intermittent vibration or repeated shocks;
(ii) the effects of exposure to vibration on employees whose health is at particular
risk from such exposure;
(iii) any effects of vibration on the workplace and work environment, including the
appropriate handling of controls, the reading of indicators, the stability of
structures and the security of joints;
(iv) any information provided by the manufacturers of work equipment;
(v) the availability of replacement equipment designed to reduce exposure to
vibration;
(vi) any extension of exposure at the workplace to whole-body vibration beyond
normal working hours, including exposure in rest facilities supervised by the
employer;
(vii) specific working conditions such as low temperatures; and
(viii) appropriate information obtained from health surveillance including, where
reasonably practicable, published information.

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(d) Employers shall assess proposed modifications to equipment, addition of new
processes, or the purchasing of new equipment to assess their effect on the work
environment and employees, with special focus placed on vibration hazards.
Employers shall:
(i) purchase equipment that has built in vibration control devices. Special
attention shall be placed on equipment that can cause whole body vibration
(e.g. jack hammers, earth moving equipment, industrial trucks, etc.) to ensure
vibration control devices are built into the equipment and appropriate for their
intended use;
(ii) design new work processes to include vibration dampening devices; and
(iii) implement a maintenance program to ensure equipment is maintained to
manufacturer’s specifications and vibration control equipment is functioning
appropriately.
(e) The risk assessment shall be reviewed regularly, and updated if:
(i) there is reason to suspect that the risk assessment is no longer valid; or
(ii) there has been a significant change in the work to which the assessment
relates.
(f) The employer shall record:
(i) the significant findings of the risk assessment as soon as reasonably
practicable after the risk assessment is made or changed; and
(ii) the measures which the employer has taken and which they intend to take to
meet the requirements of this CoP.
3.3.1. Elimination or Control of Exposure to Vibration at the Workplace
(a) Where it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate the risk at the source, and an
exposure action value is likely to be reached or exceeded, the employer shall reduce
exposure to as low a level as is reasonably practicable by establishing and
implementing a program of organizational and technical measures which is
appropriate to the activity.
(b) The control measures taken by the employer shall be based on the occupational safety
and health hierarchy of controls and shall consider:
(i) other working methods which eliminate or reduce exposure to vibration;
(ii) choice of work equipment of appropriate ergonomic design, which, taking
account of the work to be done, produces the least possible vibration;
(iii) the provision of auxiliary equipment which reduces the risk of injuries caused
by vibration;
(iv) appropriate maintenance programs for work equipment, the workplace and
workplace systems;
(v) the design and layout of workplaces, work stations and rest facilities;
(vi) appropriate information and training for employees, such that work equipment
may be used correctly and safely in order to minimise employee exposure to
vibration;
(vii) appropriate work schedules with appropriate rest periods; and

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(viii) providing clothing, as needed, to protect employees from cold and damp
environments.
(c) When employers are not able to eliminate, using engineering or administrative control
measures to reduce vibration hazards, the employer shall provide PPE designed to
reduce the transmission of vibration to the employee (e.g. anti-vibration gloves, anti-
vibration mats, etc.). The vibration attenuation (effectiveness) of personal protective
equipment shall be evaluated to determine if other controls are needed to protect
employees, as per
ADOSH-SF – CoP 2.0 – Personal Protective Equipment.
(d) Section 3.2 shall not apply where the exposure of an employee to vibration is usually
below the exposure action value but varies markedly from time to time and may
occasionally exceed the exposure limit value, provided that:
(i) over exposure does not occur more than two days per week;
(ii) any exposure to vibration averaged over one week is less than the exposure
limit value, calculated based on Schedule A part II and Schedule B part II;
(iii) there is evidence to show that the risk from the actual pattern of exposure is
less than the corresponding risk from constant exposure at the exposure limit
value;
(iv) risk is reduced to as low a level as is reasonably practicable, taking into account
the special circumstances;
(v) the employees concerned are subject to increased health surveillance; and
(vi) the employer has taken into account any employee or group of employees
whose health is likely to be particularly at risk from vibration.
3.4. Health Surveillance
(a) If the risk assessment indicates that there is a risk to the health of employees who
are exposed to vibration or likely to be exposed to vibration at or above the exposure
action level, the employer shall ensure the exposed employees are placed in an
appropriate health surveillance program in accordance with the requirements of
ADOSH-SF – CoP 5.0 – Occupational Health Screening and Medical Surveillance.
(b) Health surveillance, which shall be intended to prevent or diagnose any health effect
linked with exposure to vibration, shall include:
(i) medical evaluation from a physician that has experience in diagnosing and
treating vibration related injuries and diseases and knowledge of the work
environment and vibration exposures;
(ii) documentation of any links between the exposure and identifiable disease or
adverse health effect; and
(iii) a requirement that when a vibration related injury or illness occurs, the
treating physician shall review the job duties of the employee and determine
if there is alternative work or light duties that can be performed by the
employee during their recovery.

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4. Record Keeping
(a) Exposure monitoring, medical surveillance, examination and consultation records shall
be kept for a minimum of the period of employment plus 30 years, as per
ADOSH-SF –
Element 9 – Compliance and Management Review and
ADOSH-SF - CoP 5.0 –
Occupational Health Screening and Medical Surveillance.
(b) All compliance and training records shall be kept for a minimum of five (5) years, as
per
ADOSH-SF – Element 9 – Compliance and Management Review.
(c) Medical records relating to vibration injuries and illness shall be maintained in the
employee’s official medical record file.
(d) Employers shall keep all medical records confidential unless the employee has
provided a written and signed release stating who can have access to their medical
records (e.g. human resources, employee family members, etc.).

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5. References
•
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists 2010 TLVs and BEI’s.
•
Health and Safety Executive, The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005,
No. 1093.

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6. Document Amendment Record
Version Revision Date Description of Amendment Page/s
Affected
4.0
15 th July 2024
System acronym updated from OSHAD-SF
to ADOSH-SF to accurately reflect
document title
Throughout
Change from OSHAD to ADPHC
Change of Logo
Minor editorial changes throughout the
document without changing requirements.
Title of Mechanism 7.0 updated to ADOSH-
SF – Mechanism 7– Public and Preventive
Health Practitioner and Service Provider
Accreditation
OSHAD-SF - Mechanism 8.0 - OSH
Practitioner Registration deleted

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Schedule A: Hand-Arm Vibration
Part I-Daily exposure to vibration
The daily exposure to vibration (
A(8)) of a person is ascertained using the formula:
where:
•
a hv is the vibration magnitude, in meters per second squared (m/s 2 ;);
•
T is the duration of exposure to the vibration magnitude
a hv ; and
•
T0 is the reference duration of 8 hours (28,800 seconds).
To avoid confusion between vibration magnitude and daily exposure to vibration, it is
conventional to express daily exposure to vibration in m/s 2 A(8).
The vibration magnitude,
a hv , is ascertained using the formula:
where:
•
a hwx ,
a hwy and
a hwz are the root-mean-square acceleration magnitudes, in m/s 2 , measured in
three orthogonal directions, x, y and z, at the vibrating surface in contact with the hand,
and frequency-weighted using the weighting W h.
The definition for the frequency weighting W h is given in British Standard BS EN ISO 5349-
1:2001.
Where both hands are exposed to vibration, the greater of the two magnitudes
a hv is used to
ascertain the daily exposure.
If the work is such that the total daily exposure consists of two or more operations with
different vibration magnitudes, the daily exposure (
A(8)) for the combination of operations is
ascertained using the formula:

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where:
•
n is the number of individual operations within the working day;
•
a hvi is the vibration magnitude for operation
i; and
•
Ti is the duration of operation
i.
Part II-Exposure to vibration averaged over one week
The exposure to vibration averaged over one week (
A(8)week ) is the total exposure occurring
within a period of seven consecutive days, normalized to a reference duration of five 8-hour
days (40 hours). It is ascertained using the formula:
where:
•
A(8)j is the daily exposure for day
j.

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Schedule B: Whole-Body Vibration
Part I-Daily exposure to vibration
The daily exposure to vibration (
A(8)) of a person is ascertained using the formula:
where:
•
a w is the vibration magnitude (root-mean-square frequency-weighted acceleration
magnitude) in one of the three orthogonal directions, x, y and z, at the supporting surface;
•
T is the duration of exposure to the vibration magnitude
a w;
•
T0 is the reference duration of 8 hours (28,800 seconds); and
•
k is a multiplying factor.
To avoid confusion between vibration magnitude and daily exposure to vibration, it is
conventional to express daily exposure to vibration in m/s 2 A(8).
Daily exposure to vibration (
A(8)) is evaluated separately for the x, y and z directions of
vibration.
For horizontal vibration (x and y directions),
k = 1.4 and
a w is obtained using the W d frequency
weighting. For vertical vibration (z direction),
k = 1.0 and
a w is obtained using the W k frequency
weighting.
Definitions for the frequency weightings are given in International Standard ISO 2631-1:1997.
If the work is such that the total daily exposure consists of two or more operations with
different vibration magnitudes, the daily exposure (
A(8)) for the combination of operations is
ascertained using the formula:
where:
•
n is the number of individual operations within the working day;
•
a wi is the vibration magnitude for operation
i; and
•
Ti is the duration of operation
i.

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Part II-Exposure to vibration averaged over one week
The exposure to vibration averaged over one week (
A(8)week ) is the total exposure occurring
within a period of seven consecutive days, normalized to a reference duration of five 8-hour
days (40 hours). It is ascertained using the formula:
where:
•
A(8)j is the daily exposure for day
j.