'Things must change'

A Unite rep working in meat processing is raising concerns about growing numbers suffering from hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) across the sector and calling for more to be done to protect workers.

Iuilan Firea, Unite convenor, works at 2 Sisters in West Bromwich and says that the work and equipment in the sector is causing large numbers of workers to experience painful health problems like hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and trigger finger.

These conditions occur when the vibration from mechanical equipment is transmitted into the hands and arms of the user and can be disabling if ignored.

Hand-arm vibration syndrome affects the nerves, blood vessels, muscles and joints of the hand, wrist and arm and includes vibration white finger, which can cause severe pain in the affected fingers.

CTS is similar and a nerve disorder which may involve pain, tingling, numbness and weakness in parts of the hand and can be caused by exposure to vibration.

Another common condition caused by using vibrating mechanical equipment is trigger finger, where the tendons that bend your fingers or thumb become inflamed and they can click or lock when bent.

Iulian said, “From 160 employees on site, I am aware of at least 15-20 cases of trigger finger during the last 12 years, at least 30-40 cases of CTS, numerous individuals with losses of their fingernails every 12-15 months.

“The majority of the sickness absences were also for ‘back problems’ and ‘shoulder problems’ due to the repetitive job over the 10-hour shifts.”

Iulian is one of those affected and said he has “permanent nerve damage on my left hand and trigger finger and CTS on my right hand.”

Iulian told Landworker about two members working in the nearby Wolverhampton site.

A mother and daughter from Romania, who would prefer not to be named, have been working as manual knife operatives for many years and the repetitive nature of the tasks has taken its toll.

Iulian explained, “The mother was affected within the first two years at work, firstly with a trigger finger on her right hand, after that CTS was identified first in her right hand, and later in her left hand.

“She was extremely scared of how her body was unable to execute simple functions such as holding, using or moving her fingers. She was deeply affected both at work and in her day-to-day life. Beside the condition and the struggles with it while continuing to work, it was also a fear factor due to full pressure [of losing her job] from the company.”

The daughter developed CTS on her right hand firstly, followed by trigger finger, and the effect on work and her personal life has been similar to her mother.

Both mother and daughter have had to endure numerous steroid injections to control the condition, along with years of ongoing physiotherapy.

This case was not an isolated incident and Iulian explained it can impact on the whole workforce. “At least one of three workers within the site had either trigger finger or CTS, and having to work with these health conditions increases the pressure on the others.”

The nature of the health conditions are long term and can be irreversible.

Iulian and his fellow Unite reps have been successfully pushing management to make changes.

Iulian said, “Over the years, following many occupational health referrals and a lot of complaints and meetings, we managed to adjust the roles and implement a few safe-guarding measures, such as a lower cutting count, specific easier cuts or extra breaks.

“However, the job remains the job, and without legal guidance and prevention there is nothing to avoid these conditions.”

With this in mind, Iulian wants the matter to be raised with the HSE, to ensure the dangers are taken seriously in the meat processing sector, and specific guidance is issued.

Currently most guidance around HAVS is aimed at areas like construction, manufacturing and forestry. The HSE guide, ‘Hand-arm vibration at work’ has a long list of ‘Which jobs are most likely to create a risk?’ and ‘Which tools are most likely to create a risk?’ but the food sector is not mentioned once, something that Iulian feels needs to be addressed.

Last year the British Safety Industry Federation (BSFI) launched a campaign called ‘Bad Vibrations’ which aims to tackle confusion around HAVS.

The BSFI said, “more than 2m people are at risk of developing HAVS every year due to repetitive use of vibrating tools.

“No one should jeopardise their long-term health while doing their job. With the right precautions taken early, this painful and sometimes irreversible condition can be prevented.”

In some sectors specific PPE or technology is in place to reduce the impact of vibration or repetitive tasks.

Anti-vibration gloves are commonplace on construction sites, and increasingly ‘smart watches’ are available that calculate limits, monitor exposure and give real-time warnings as these limits are approached.

These are being increasingly marketed to forestry and agricultural workers who use chainsaws and strimmers, however there seems to be nothing in the food processing sector.

Iulian feels this needs to change, and that taking action for workers across the meat processing sector to stay healthy is long overdue. He said, “Considering that the meat sector uses a ‘production line’ in processing the meat, and this involves three hours of repetitive work and movement, while being stationary, things must change.

“We need to ensure that similar health and safety prevention measures for HAVS in the construction sector are in place in food processing, to prevent the increasing number of carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger damages we find in the sector.”

By Keith Hatch

This article first appeared in the latest edition of Landworker, Summer 2026, which you can read here.