Vibration White Finger

“Vibration white finger” is the name given to medical condition known as Raynaud´s Syndrome – an industrial injury caused by the long term use of vibrating hand-held machinery. 

Vibration White Finger Symptoms

The symptoms of vibration white finger is a tingling whiteness or numbness in the finger tip (normally the index finger or “trigger finger”), which extends down the finger as the condition becomes more severe. As the blood vessels and nerve endings become more damaged, sufferers of vibration white finger will see their finger become pale and lose feeling – particularly in cold weather – with intense painful throbbing when the finger warms up and the blood returns.

The symptoms of vibration white finger do not just occur when working with machinery. The painfulness can commence during any cold weather activity or even when just being out without gloves in the winter.

As soon as you suspect that you are suffering from vibration white finger, you should arrange to see your family medical practitioner. Should the condition not be treated, dexterity of the finger will suffer, followed by a loss of sensation in the finger and, ultimately, the loss of the finger itself.

Prevention of Vibration White Finger

Since the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2007), regulations have been in place with minimum health and safety requirements to reduce the risk to employees of vibration white finger. The focus of the regulations is a “daily exposure limit” to vibrating machinery, with a scale in place of typical vibration levels for various tools. However, different vibration white finger limits apply for vulnerable employees – for example pregnant women, teenage workers, people with diabetes – and if an employer has not advised vulnerable employees of their limit, provided better maintained tools or asked anyone to work beyond their daily exposure limit, they are in breach of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2007).

Where this breach in the regulations leads to an employee developing vibration white finger, that employee is entitled to claim for compensation.

Claiming Compensation for Vibration White Finger

Claiming compensation for vibration white finger is going to rely on a series of factors. Most importantly there has to be a correlation between the consistent use of the machinery responsible and the onset of vibration white finger. Compensation for vibration white finger may be affected if the victim is a keen DIY-er and uses similar tools in pursuit of his hobby (thus exceeding the daily exposure limit further and worsening his condition), or compromised by his employment status.

Because of the many variables in calculating the validity of a claim for vibration white finger compensation, we have set up a free telephone advice service.

Sufferers of vibration white finger can call this dedicated number to speak with one of our solicitors, and find out what rights they have to compensation if their employer has been in breach of Health and Safety regulations. The call and the advice are free, and there is no obligation to proceed with a claim after speaking with us.

Call us now on 1-800 989 995 or if you cannot speak now please fill in the form on the left and we will call you back.

Our Promise to You:

What You Can Expect When You Call

It is important that you see a doctor  as soon as possible if you suspect you have Raynaud´s Syndrome/vibration white finger. This is not only to receive appropriate treatment but also because  our solicitors will need your medical records to make a compensation claim.

Once the symptoms have been diagnosed, we would like to hear details of what machines you are using, how much time you are using on each and if you fall into one of the groups of vulnerable employees. This will help us calculate if you are working beyond your daily exposure limit and if your employer is in breach of health and safety regulations.

Once we know the origin of the complaint, we can assess whether you have a claim for vibration white finger compensation which is worth your while to pursue. If so, we can advise you what is involved in claiming compensation for vibration white figure, how long the process is likely to take and a general idea of the level of compensation we would expect you to receive.

You do not have to decide immediately if you want to proceed with a claim. Many clients choose to discuss the issue with their family and we understand that suing an employer – even when they are to blame for a painful condition – may be a sensitive matter. You are welcome to contact us whenever you want to move forward with a claim for vibration white finger compensation.

You first step, once you have seen a doctor of course, is to call our free advice telephone service on 1-800 989 995 and find out what rights you have and what your entitlement is. Our lines are open from 8.00am to 10.00pm and we also have a call-back option below if you would like one of our team to contact you at a more convenient time.