Should I use a wearable vibration sensor or a tool-based timer to monitor hand-arm vibration?

A tool-based timer records how long a tool is used and multiplies that trigger time by a vibration magnitude set for the tool, usually the manufacturer's figure or a one-off measurement. A wearable vibration sensor measures the vibration reaching the worker on whatever tool they pick up, so the daily total follows the person and reflects how the tool actually behaves that day. Timers suit a small, stable tool fleet with well-documented magnitudes; a wearable such as HAVS Protect suits teams that share, hire or often change tools and want live warnings before 100 and 400 points.

Where the vibration figure comes from

Timer: a pre-set magnitude per tool. HSE notes that logbooks, data loggers and tool timers can be used to monitor and estimate exposure, and that different electronic monitoring systems can vary by up to 20% when monitoring the same task.

Wearable: measured on the worker. The HAVS Protect VibrationSensor measures on three axes in line with ISO 5349 practice, worn on the hand under the glove.

What the worker sees

HSE warns that retrospective recording can let employees exceed a limit before you know. The HAVS Protect sensor shows green below 100 points, yellow above 100 and red at 400, and the app shows live points and trigger time, so the worker can rotate tasks before reaching a limit.

What the supervisor gets

Connected Worker sends supervisors automatic alarms at 100 and 400 points and shows statistics per team, tool and work task, which also shows which tools drive exposure.

Frequently asked questions

Is a trigger timer accepted by HSE?
HSE guidance says logbooks, data loggers and tool timers can be used to monitor and estimate hand-arm vibration exposure.
Does a wearable sensor need a tool database?
HAVS Protect measures the vibration that reaches the hand, so it does not need a vibration magnitude entered per tool to count points.
Can I compare the approaches on my own tools first?
Yes. Enter your tools' magnitudes and trigger times in the exposure calculator to see the estimated points, then compare with measured exposure.

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