Since its initial publication in 1986, ISO 5439 has been unclear on the evaluation of isolated and repeated shock vibration. In 2015, an expert’s workshop was held in conjunction with the 13th International Conference that identified features of a vibration signal that may be important for predicting health outcomes, including high-frequency vibration and shock. Since then, ISO standards have been drafted on the measurement of shock and measurement of high-frequency vibrations, and in the European Union, a proposed revision of machinery supply legislation will require manufacturers to provide information on the average peak amplitude of acceleration. The Nancy Workshop introduced the issue of hand-transmitted (mechanical) shock (HTS) and work currently active within International Standards groups, and discussed options for defining HTS measurement. The workshop concluded that HTS is likely to present different risks to those of continuous hand–arm vibration, and that, therefore, there is a need for different metrics, and that high-frequency vibration is an important component of many HTS sources, e.g., impact wrenches, nail guns, riveting hammers, etc.; therefore, HTS evaluation should include higher frequencies of vibration, possibly up to 10 kHz.
This research received no external funding.