As far back as 1911, scientists associated vibration from hand-held tools with the risk of pain, numbing and blanching of the fingers, known as vibration white finger. But even now, many key aspects of the problem are not well understood, hampering efforts to identify worker populations at risk, and to design effective control measures.
NIOSH is pursuing studies to help fill those critical gaps and point to ways for effectively reducing risks of hand-vibration disorders for employees who use jackhammers, chipping hammers, power drills and other vibrating tools.