Hand and Arm Vibration Syndrome advice for landscapers and gardeners

'Life's too short' - it's a cliché but it is true. One minute we are fearless sixteen year olds starting out in our careers and the next, seemingly in the blink of another cliché, thinking of ways to be less physical - after all, gardening and landscaping can be very hard work.

Most gardeners and landscapers use machinery; many will use mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters whilst gardening whilst landscapers utilise breaking and compaction tools that vibrate during operation.

Nerve and circulation damage caused by vibration and/or too tight a grip can lead to severe problems to the operator.

White finger is extremely common among workers who use percussion type machinery such as hammer drills or road breakers; coal miners are a particular group who are afflicted after using vibrating machinery for many hours over a long period of time.

White Finger or Raynaud's disease - now widely lumped together as 'Hand and Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) are conditions affects blood vessels, nerves, muscles, and joints of an operator who may have been over-exposed to vibration from machinery over a long period of time.

Shropshire based landscape gardener, Robin Ainsworth is one such sufferer of HAVS and has added a 'Health and Safety' post to the Landscape Juice Network in the hope of raising awareness amongst the horticulture community.

Robins says: "I'd like all new starters to be aware about the 'personal health Issues' gardening maintenance can create. The importance of ear defenders, anti-vibe gloves and hard-hats/ goggles & face protectors.

"Please use them from the start and don't suffer like me after 7 years of ignorance.