Vibration

Good vibrations, bad vibrations. Many types of pneumatic tool are used in jobs such as road-making, quarrying, demolition, stone cutting, and so on - often referred to as jack hammers. Not only are such tools often noisy, they also transmit vibrations to the hands of the operator. These vibrations can cause a condition called the Raynaud's disease, or vibration-induced white finger, a blanching of the fingers or hands which occurs in cold weather especially. Raynaud's phenonemon may also affect chainsaw operators.

Although uncomfortable, it's unusual for someone to have to give up work because of this condition. The evidence is that wearing paded gloves does not reduce exposure to vibration. Wearing padded gloves does not absorb the tool's vibration but can be a good idea to keep the hands warm if it is cold. Tools can also be engineered to keep vibration to a minimum.