As many as two million people contract hand and arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) each year from using vibrating tools such as chain saws and jack hammers, says Donald Wasserman, one of the country's leading experts on the damaging effects of on-the-job vibration exposure. But he says the problem is still something of a silent epidemic, with many victims unaware of their condition, how it occurred, and what to do about it.
It's a serious concern, says Wasserman, because once exposed to steady vibration on the job, symptoms can appear within as little as a year's time. Once the chronic, progressive disorder passes its early stages, the effects are irreversible.