Aim and scope
1. This Directive, which is the 16th individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC, lays down minimum requirements for the protection of workers from risks to their health and safety arising or likely to arise from exposure to mechanical vibration.
2. The requirements of this Directive shall apply to activities in which workers are or are likely to be exposed to risks from mechanical vibration during their work.
3. Directive 89/391/EEC shall apply fully to the whole area referred to in paragraph 1, without prejudice to more stringent and/or more specific provisions contained in this Directive.
Definitions
For the purposes of this Directive, the following terms shall mean:
(a) "hand-arm vibration": the mechanical vibration that, when transmitted to the human hand-arm system, entails risks to the health and safety of workers, in particular vascular, bone or joint, neurological or muscular disorders;
(b) "whole-body vibration": the mechanical vibration that, when transmitted to the whole body, entails risks to the health and safety of workers, in particular lower-back morbidity and trauma of the spine.
Exposure limit values and action values
1. For hand-arm vibration:
(a) the daily exposure limit value standardised to an eight-hour reference period shall be 5 m/s2;
(b) the daily exposure action value standardised to an eight-hour reference period shall be 2,5 m/s2.
Workers' exposure to hand-arm vibration shall be assessed or measured on the basis of the provisions of Point 1 of Part A of the Annex.
2. For whole-body vibration:
(a) the daily exposure limit value standardised to an eight-hour reference period shall be 1,15 m/s2 or, at the choice of the Member State concerned, a vibration dose value of 21 m/s1,75;
(b) the daily exposure action value standardised to an eight-hour reference period shall be 0,5 m/s2 or, at the choice of the Member State concerned, a vibration dose value of 9,1 m/s1,75.
Workers' exposure to whole-body vibration shall be assessed or measured on the basis of the provisions of Point 1 of Part B of the Annex.
SECTION II
OBLIGATION OF EMPLOYERS
