What should my employer do to prevent whole-body vibration?

The HSE outlines the following measures to control whole-body vibration risks:

• Minimise the transport of goods or materials, or replace manned with unmanned machines such as remotely controlled conveyors.
• Choose work equipment of appropriate ergonomic design. It says that the choice of vehicle can be an important means of reducing exposure to vibration.
• Consider the choice of seat (including suspension seats) and the choice of tyres.
• Regularly maintain vehicles (including their seats and suspension) and maintain unmade roads and ground conditions throughout sites to suit the machines that use them in order to reduce shocks and jolts.
• Design the layout of workplace sites to reduce the need to transport materials, and so reduce the WBV exposure of drivers/operators.
• Ensure work schedules have adequate rest periods. It recommends a short break between operating mobile machinery and manual handling of materials in order to give tired muscles time to recover before handling heavy loads.
• Protect employees from cold and damp. It says that cold can accelerate the onset or worsen the severity of back pain. It is good practice to ensure that those working in the cold are provided with warm, and (if necessary) waterproof clothing.