Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law Publicity Week丨Diseases Caused by “Shaking”

Hand-arm vibration disease refers to a disease caused by long-term hand-transmitted vibration work, with the main manifestations being peripheral circulation disorders in the hand, arm nerve dysfunction and (or) bone, joint and muscle injuries. It is a statutory occupational disease in my country.

Compared with common occupational diseases such as pneumoconiosis and noise-induced deafness, hand-arm vibration disease is often ignored by workers.

Case 1 [Polishers’ “discolored fingers”]

Chengdu Business Daily reported that Lao Hu, a grinder at a golf club manufacturing factory, and many of his co-workers developed symptoms such as "gray fingers", "numbness and swelling of fingers", and "no feeling when pricked by a needle" during the eight or nine years they had been working there. They were diagnosed with "occupational hand-arm vibration disease" by relevant health agencies and were identified as "occupational disease grade 6 disability" in the same year.

When hands are exposed to cold, especially cold water, Lao Hu and his co-workers’ fingers will become numb and swollen. Gradually, the symptoms radiate from the distal end of the fingers to the proximal end. They are grayish white at first, then pale and cyanotic, and then gradually turn red until they return to their normal color. The whole process can last from several minutes to tens of minutes, and “you can’t even feel it if you prick them with a needle.” (Figure 1)

(Figure 1: Many workers show their white fingers)

Case 2 [A car washer at a 4S shop developed "vibration disease"]

Anhui News reported that Xiao Song was a car washer at a 4S store. During his busiest days, he had to wash nearly 100 cars a day. After working for more than 7 years, his hands became deformed, numb, and painful, and he couldn't even hold chopsticks. He was diagnosed with "occupational hand-arm vibration disease."

Xiao Song, a car washer, and Lao Hu, a sander, seem to have nothing to do with each other, so why do they suffer from the same "arm vibration disease"? This is because Xiao Song needs to hold a high-pressure water gun for a long time when washing cars, and Xiao Li needs to hold a sander for a long time when sanding. Both tools will generate vibrations, which will cause irreversible impact and damage to the arm nerves over time.

Hand-arm vibration disease often occurs in people who have long-term contact with hand-held vibrating tools or vibrating workpieces, such as car washers, grinders, rock drillers, chainsaw operators, grinding wheel polishers, casting cleaners, concrete tampers, riveters, cement pipe makers, etc.

Seek medical attention promptly if symptoms occur

Cases of occupational hand-arm vibration disease are not uncommon, but they are easily overlooked. There is currently no effective treatment for hand-arm vibration disease, so early detection and diagnosis are crucial.

If you are a worker who needs to use hand-held vibrating tools for a long time, please stop working with hand-transmitted vibration tools and seek medical attention immediately when you experience the following early symptoms.

1. Early symptoms include occasional or persistent numbness and pain in the hands, stiffness and weakness, insomnia and fatigue.

2. When arm vibration disease develops further, vibration white fingers will occur, which are manifested by persistent numbness, swelling and pain in the fingers when they are exposed to cold, and the color of the fingers changes from grayish white to pale (Figure 2), followed by flushing, swelling and deformation of the joints, and even atrophy.

(Figure 2)

Prevention at the source

Hand-arm vibration disease is so terrible, how can employers and practitioners prevent it in the early stages?

1. Control vibration sources and improve production processes. Employers should adopt vibration reduction measures during production, or improve vibration equipment and tools to reduce vibration to a level that is harmless to the human body.

2. Reduce working time and take good insulation measures. Adhere to the system of rest breaks and regular work rotation, reduce the time of exposure to vibration, focus on taking good insulation measures in the workplace in cold seasons, and avoid low-temperature operations.

3. Strengthen individual protection. Issue and wear personal protective equipment such as anti-vibration warm gloves, vibration-reducing seats, and anti-vibration gloves.

4. Strengthen health monitoring and daily health care. Regular health examinations should be conducted on workers in vibration operations in accordance with the law. Workers who have been engaged in vibration operations for a long time, especially those suffering from hand-arm vibration disease, should strengthen exercise, adhere to treatment, keep warm, and avoid fatigue.

What should I do if I suspect I have arm vibration disorder?

(1) Occupational disease diagnosis: If you suspect that you have suffered from occupational hand-arm vibration disease, you can apply for occupational disease diagnosis from a medical and health institution that is legally responsible for occupational disease diagnosis in the place where your employer is located, your place of household registration, or your place of habitual residence. You only need to submit the required occupational disease diagnosis-related information to apply. After the occupational disease diagnosis institution makes an occupational disease diagnosis conclusion, it can issue an occupational disease diagnosis certificate. If you have any objections to the occupational disease diagnosis, you can also apply for occupational disease appraisal from the health administrative department of the local people's government where the medical and health institution that made the diagnosis is located;

(2) Occupational disease identification: After obtaining the occupational disease diagnosis certificate and being diagnosed with occupational hand-arm vibration disease, the employer or patient can bring relevant materials to the local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau to apply for occupational disease identification. After being identified as an occupational disease, the treatment, transportation, food and accommodation expenses will be paid by the work-related injury insurance fund;

(3) Assessment of work capacity due to occupational diseases: Since hand-arm vibration disease seriously affects the patient's work capacity, after the occupational disease is successfully identified, the patient can also apply for a work capacity assessment to the local work capacity assessment center and enjoy work-related disability benefits according to the assessment results.

References:

[1] Chen Qingsong. Pay attention to the prevention and control of noise and hand-transmitted vibration to protect the health of workers[J]. Environmental and Occupational Medicine, 2020, 37(04): 334-336.

[2] Zhang Biao, Zhang Zhihu, Feng Tongxin, et al. Research progress on occupational hand-arm vibration disease[J]. Chinese Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2018, 31(06): 434-438.

[3] Wang Hailan. Impact of vibration on health and hand-arm vibration disease[J]. Modern Occupational Safety, 2014, 1:112-113.

[4] Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases.