Record exposure measurements in an Equipment section

Record exposure measurements for linked equipment in an Equipment section of a risk assessment so the assessment captures a snapshot of vibration or noise exposure expected at the time of review. The stored measurements feed a Combined Totals panel that rolls up hand-arm vibration, whole-body vibration, and noise across the section. Any per-tool exposure calculator you open is a throwaway estimator—only the measurements you manually add to the assessment section are saved.

Before you start

You need at least the Member role for the Risks module to add, edit, or remove exposure measurements in a draft assessment. Published and historical versions are read-only. For role details, see Risks roles and access.

What gets stored

Each stored measurement is a snapshot saved against the assessment section, not the live register. It records:

• Kind — the emission type (Hand-arm Vibration, Whole-body Vibration, Noise (Sound Pressure), or Noise (Sound Power)), depending on what the linked equipment profile supports.

• Value Used — either a selected register emission value or Manual Magnitude.

• Magnitude and Unit — only when you choose Manual Magnitude.

• Estimated Trigger Time (minutes) — the time the tool is used or triggered.

• Note — optional context.

When a register emission value changes after the measurement is saved, the stored measurement shows a warning that the register value has changed. The snapshot itself does not auto-update.

Add a measurement

1. In the draft assessment, open the Equipment section that contains the linked profile you want to measure.

2. In the Stored Exposure Measurements panel for that profile, click Add Measurement.

3. Choose the Kind from the dropdown. Only kinds supported by the profile appear.

4. Under Value Used, select an emission value from the register or choose Manual Magnitude. If you choose manual, enter the Magnitude and Unit.

5. Enter the Estimated Trigger Time (minutes).

6. Add an optional Note.

7. Click Add Measurement.

If the trigger time is invalid or a manual magnitude is missing, the form shows a validation message and the measurement is not saved.

Edit or remove a measurement

1. In the Equipment section, find the stored measurement you want to change.

2. Click the measurement row to open the edit form.

3. Update the fields and click Save Measurement, or click Remove and confirm the Remove Exposure Measurement dialog.

Removing a measurement deletes the snapshot from the assessment section only. It does not affect the equipment risk profile or its register data.

Read the combined totals

The Equipment section shows a Combined Totals panel that aggregates all stored measurements across every linked profile in the section:

• Hand-Arm Vibration and Whole-Body Vibration — shown as total exposure points and, where applicable, A(8) in m/s².

• Noise — shown as LEP,d in dB(A).

Each total also carries a status badge:

• Below Exposure Action Value

• At or Above Exposure Action Value

• At or Above Exposure Limit Value

Use the exposure calculators

Exposure calculators are available on equipment risk profile detail pages, on linked equipment rows inside an assessment, and on the public scan page for an equipment risk profile. They are live estimators that read the current register data and do not write anything back to the assessment.

Calculator modes

Each calculator has two tabs:

• Time Available — reverse mode. Enter a target magnitude and see how many minutes can be used before reaching an action or limit value.

• From Trigger Time — forward mode. Enter a trigger time in minutes and see the resulting exposure.

Vibration calculators

For hand-arm vibration (HAV) and whole-body vibration (WBV):

• Forward mode shows A(8) in m/s² and Exposure Points.

• Reverse mode shows approximate minutes to the exposure action value and to the exposure limit value.

• Whole-body vibration includes a guidance note: the value should already be the axis-weighted worst case (the higher axis, weighted ×1.4 on horizontal axes).

Noise calculator

For noise (sound pressure):

• Forward mode shows LEP,d in dB(A).

• Reverse mode shows approximate minutes to the lower exposure action value, upper exposure action value, and exposure limit value.

Section Exposure Calculator

Inside an assessment Equipment section, a Section Exposure Calculator appears when at least two linked profiles have calculable emission values. It estimates combined daily exposure across all linked tools. Each row defaults to the tool’s current register value unless you switch the candidate. Enter trigger times for at least one tool to see the combined totals update live.

This calculator is also throwaway: it is not saved to the assessment. Use the results to decide what measurements to store, then add them manually.

What’s next

• See Add Equipment sections to a risk assessment for linking equipment profiles and building the section.

• See Work with risk assessment sections for how to add, edit, reorder, and delete sections.

• See Export a risk assessment as a spreadsheet for how assessment data is exported.