§279 携帯式の手持ち式及び手動誘導式機械により伝達される振動の宣言

The requirement set out in section 2.2.1.1 is complementary to the general requirements relating to the instructions set out in section 1.7.4.

The first indent of the first paragraph of section 2.2.1.1 sets out the physical quantity relating to the vibrations transmitted by portable hand-held and hand-guided to the hand-arm system that must be declared in the instructions.

The value measured on the machinery must be declared if it exceeds 2.5 m/s. If the value measured on the machinery does not exceed this value, that fact must be declared. The vibrations transmitted by the machinery must therefore be measured by the machinery manufacturer using an appropriate test method, unless it has been established that, for the category of machinery concerned, the measured values never exceed the above limit – this may be stated in the C-type standard for the category of machinery concerned.

The declaration of vibrations transmitted by the machinery has two main purposes:

to help users to choose machinery with reduced vibration emissions;

to provide information useful for the risk assessment to be carried out by the employer according to the national provisions implementing Directive 2002/44/EC on the exposure of workers to the risks arising from vibrations.

In this respect, it should be recalled that the level of exposure of workers to vibrations cannot be simply deduced from the machinery manufacturer's declaration of vibration emissions, since the exposure of operators is also influenced by other factors – see §231: comments on section 1.5.9.

minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (vibration) (sixteenth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC) – see Article 4 (4) (e).

The second indent of the first paragraph of section 2.2.1.1 requires the uncertainty surrounding the declared value to be specified. Guidance on determining the uncertainty associated with the measurement of vibrations transmitted by the machinery should be given in the relevant test codes.

The second paragraph of section 2.2.1.1 implies that, in the case of series production, measurement can be carried out on a representative sample or samples of technically comparable machinery. In the case of one-off production, the manufacturer must measure the vibrations transmitted by each item of machinery supplied.

The third and last paragraphs of section 2.2.1.1 concern the methods to be used for measuring vibrations. Operating conditions have a strong influence on the vibrations transmitted by machinery. Measurement of vibrations should therefore be carried out under representative operating conditions. Where the test code specified in a harmonised standard states the operating conditions under which the measurement is to be made, a reference to the harmonised standard is sufficient to indicate the operating conditions and measurement methods used. Where other test methods are used, the operating conditions and measurement methods used must be indicated in the declaration of vibrations.

It should be noted that the value declared in the instructions relating to vibrations must also be included in commercial documents relating to the performance characteristics of the machinery – see §273: comments on section 1.7.4.3.

If the residual vibration emissions determined under 2.2.1.1 do not adequately represent the emissions during the intended uses of the machine, additional information and/or warnings should be supplied to enable the potential risks to be assessed and managed.