Continual WBV assessment, made useful at the helm.

Workboat Code Edition 3 applies to workboats operating to sea and to dedicated pilot boats. Section 22.3.4 states that ambient sea conditions and whole-body vibration shall be continually assessed throughout the voyage.

The code does not prescribe a particular product or say that electronic monitoring alone proves compliance. The operator remains responsible for the assessment, competent judgement and proportionate control measures.

• Continual assessment throughout the voyage
• Ambient sea conditions considered with WBV
• Applies within the Code's workboat and pilot-boat scope
• No product-specific compliance shortcut

The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Control of Vibration at Work) Regulations 2007 require relevant shipowners and employers to assess vibration risk. MCA guidance gives a whole-body vibration daily exposure action value of 0.5 m/s² A(8) and a daily exposure limit value of 1.15 m/s² A(8).

Where risk is identified, the process is broader than recording a number: consider exposure level and duration, work methods, seating, maintenance, training, schedules and whether the controls are effective.

• A(8) exposure action value: 0.5 m/s²
• A(8) exposure limit value: 1.15 m/s²
• Assess level, type and duration
• Reduce identified risk as far as possible

VIMMS combines live helm feedback with time-synchronised WBV, impacts, speed, position, vessel motion and seat measurements. That context helps teams see not only that exposure occurred, but when, where and under which operating conditions.

MCA small-vessel guidance recognises the value of suitable accelerometers, real-time displays and historical data for operational decisions. Measurement should be selected and interpreted by competent people, and VIMMS should form part of—not replace—the wider risk-management process.

• Live feedback while speed or course can change
• A(8), RMS and VDV with journey context
• Separate impact and continuous-vibration records
• Evidence for route, seat, training and fleet review