All 43 tools
Compliance tools · vibration · HSE points
Am I over the HAV exposure action value?
Roughly where a day’s tool use sits against the HSE Exposure Action and Limit Values.
Questions people ask
What are the HAV exposure action and limit values?
The exposure action value is an A(8) of 2.5 m/s², which is 100 HSE points; the exposure limit value is 5 m/s², 400 points. The calculator adds the points for each tool and shows which side of each line the day sits.
How are the points worked out?
From each tool’s vibration magnitude and its trigger time, the HSE points method, and A(8) = √points ÷ 4. Each tool also shows how long on its own it takes to reach the action and limit values, and how much longer it can be used today before the day reaches the limit value. The figures are rounded once, and the line a day is judged against is read from the same rounded figure the page shows.
What figure do I use for a tool?
The manufacturer’s figure or a measurement for your own tool is best. Without one, the page offers HSE’s own examples from L140 (2019): modern rotary tools such as angle grinders often run at about 7 m/s², and impulsive tools such as chipping or rotary hammers about 15 m/s². HSE says older or poorly maintained machines may reach the action and limit values much sooner.
Is this a HAV assessment?
No. It is a starting point to see roughly where a day sits. A HAV exposure assessment, and what to do about the result, is the job of a competent person working from current HSE guidance. The page says so and Pascoe Business Systems makes no compliance claim.
Calculators for the same job
Need the paperwork behind this, not just the number? PBS Policies produces branded risk assessments, toolbox talks and handbooks from a starter library, with your business substituted throughout.
Read before you rely on this. These compliance tools are a starting point, not a decision. The exposure figures, the notification answer, the risk score and the accreditation list are guidance only — none of them is a risk assessment, a HAV or noise exposure assessment, legal advice or a compliance sign-off, and Pascoe Business Systems makes no compliance claim. Current HSE guidance and a competent person decide.