First of all I have knowledge of the Vibration regs and guidance, however I have little experience in their application. I know that the HSE reckon that Orbital Sanders can produce vibration in the order of 7-10ms-2 through the operators hand. However the levels we have measured using a competent consultancy have measured in excess of this - possibly due to operator technique, age of equipment, maintenance etc. Using the hierarchy of control we are also looking at automation, reduced time exposure (which is quite challenging in a small operation) and training. However some hand sanding will still need to be done and therefore we are looking at purchasing new hand held equipment and wondered what order of magnitude of difference this might make. I think this is a good idea, however the case needs to be made. We use Dynabrade at the moment and are looking at 3M as well. I realise that information from the manufacturer does not generally include the resonance from the work piece, however some are getting more better at providing this information. Any information gratefully received.

We have used the following orbital sanders: Mirka ROS65ODB 6” sander with on tool extraction: 6.01 m/s2 3M 6” sander with on tool extraction: 7.09 m/s2 CP Desoutter Renault SXRA60V (6" sand paper): 7.0 m/s2 The Mirka sander is now our preferred tool due to both on tool extraction and the lower vibration levels. Very low levels of dust and relatively low vibration levels. Realistically, with lunch, rest breaks and other tasks through out the day it is not really feasible for them to exceed their maximum daily exposure limits when using this tool, however we still do stipulate a maximum usage time of 5hours with no other vibrating tools to be used once exceeding this. If you are getting high vibration levels, trial different tools, there are plenty on the market and more than ever they are incorporating new technology to minimise vibration. Dont rely too much on the manufacturers data, and expect to have to take your own measurements, though this is better than it used to be. Des

1. Myself with own calibrated meter 2. New(ish), regularly maintained, not had chance to review results after a significant period of time yet 3. Yes