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Claims for Vibration White Finger
(also known as Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome)

Vibration White Finger Claims are made for an industrial injury caused by hand-held vibrating machinery. It has been recognised as an industrial disease for many years and has affected thousands of employees. As a result every year, many compensation claims are made for the condition.

Incidentally, Vibration White Finger is now called " Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome" (HAVS) as other symptoms may occur in addition to white fingers.

What is Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome?

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome is actually a secondary form of Raynaud's disease. The symptoms appear in the fingers, hands and arms. As well as bouts of "white finger" it may also cause permanent numbness and tingling in the fingers. It you stop working with vibrating tools that may prevent the symptoms from getting worse.

In some cases the effects of HAVS can be quite severe - affecting an employee both whilst at work and in their home life and can lasting from minutes to hours at a time.

Doctors now believe that, despite the implementation of preventative measures, around 1 in 10 of employees using of vibrating machinery end up suffering from HAVS.

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How is hand-arm vibration syndrome caused?

Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome c an be caused by repeated use of vibrating machinery such as pneumatic drills, chainsaws and power drills. It's not entirely known how the vibrations cause HAVS, but medical opinion believes that small but repetitive injuries are caused to the nerves and blood vessels in the fingers, and over time the damage accumulates.

The coal mining industry is renowned as having the highest incidence of HAVS and Vibration White Finger caused by miners handling vibrating tools. Indeed some years ago, the UK Government set up a special fund to compensate ex-miners who had suffered from the condition. This fund has now paid out over £125 million in compensation.

What are the symptoms of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome?

Symptoms can include Raynaud's phenomenon (this is the 'white finger' element), nerve symptoms and muscular aches and pains.

Raynaud's phenomenon
Raynaud's phenomenon comes in bouts that are triggered by cold weather or by touching a cold object. A typical attack of Raynaud's is described as follows:

• Initially the fingers go white and cool. This is due to the small blood vessels going into spasm and narrowing. Consequently, the blood supply to the fingers is reduced.
• The fingers then go blue-ish in colour as the oxygen in the reduced blood supply is used up.
• When the blood vessels open up again (dilate) and a good flow of blood is restored, the fingers go bright red. This may be accompanied by throbbing, tingling and pain.

Not everyone will have all these classic colour changes, but will still develop bouts of pale and uncomfortable cold fingers. Each attack can last from minutes to hours. The level of discomfort or pain can vary but symptoms usually go after each bout. And in the most severe cases, one or more fingers may remain blue-ish.

Nerve symptoms
Loss of feeling (numbness) and/or pins and needles (tingling) may develop in one or more fingers. In mild cases these symptoms may be mild and simply affect the finger tips and it can 'come and go'.

In severe cases, the loss of feeling may extend permanently along the affected fingers. This can make it very difficult to do dexterous tasks and give the appearance of clumsiness. For example, it can be difficult to fasten buttons or handle small change etc.

Aches and pains
Minor damage to the bones, joints and muscles, may cause aches and pains in the hands and lower arm. Your grip may also be reduced.

Claiming Compensation

You could have a good case to claim for compensation if have the symptoms of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome or Vibration White Finger and you've been using vibrating machinery as part of your work and were not told about the possible repercussions and how to avoid them.

Indeed compensation can be the only way to recover your lost and future earnings and to make up for your suffering.

So complete our online enquiry form right now and a Claims Adviser from Claims Direct will phone you back and provide a free consultation. The Adviser will talk to you about your symptoms and the type of work you believe caused your problems etc. Then they'll advise you whether they think you have a good case for compensation and maybe give you an indication of level of compensation that you could expect if your case was successful.

Then, assuming that you want to proceed, they'll transfer your case to a solicitor specialising in HAVS and VWF claims.

As with all medical conditions like these, proving the cause of the disease is central to building a successful case. That's why expert medical evidence will be required to support your claim.

But don't worry, the solicitors appointed by Claims Justice will handle all that for you and thanks to their No Win No Fee policy, you won't have to pay a penny!

And remember, you're guaranteed to receive 100% of the compensation awarded to you.

So don't delay, complete our online enquiry form right now.