Vibration can range from a minor issue to a more serious one, depending on the piece of equipment that it is affecting and how badly it vibrates. The more sensitive an item is, the more potential damage that even mild vibration can do. Even in an item that is not necessarily delicate, excessive vibration can quickly become a major problem resulting in issues like movement, excessive noise and discomfort for the people who share space with the machine in question. The easiest example to illustrate this point: the common, household washing machine.

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From medical labs to research labs, the need for precision and exact results is vitally important. Tests are expensive to run and in many cases the results are time sensitive. A person’s life could be hanging in the balance as the medical team awaits answers so that they can take the next step in that person’s care. Lab tests that are being performed must be done correctly and carefully or the patient will not get the right diagnosis in time and may not be able to make a meaningful recovery. A lab machine that is off by just a tiny bit can be a machine that is giving completely worthless results.

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The MRI, which stands for magnetic resonance imaging, is a helpful diagnostic tool used by the medical profession to not only diagnose but to best determine the treatment plans of several different conditions. Because of the way that the imaging is done, these scans are much more valuable to doctors than others. This includes X-rays because it allows for a much clearer vision of soft tissues like muscles. For some injuries, like deep tissue injuries, sprains and strains, the X-ray may be completely useless because it will not show what is going on with the muscle, only the bones and hard structures of the body.

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Machines are a necessity these days for virtually all aspects of our lives. From very small, household appliances to the big hulking, room sized machines and beyond, we rely on machines to do everything from make our food to our vehicles. No matter what size machine we are talking about, there are issues that can make using them unpleasant and even dangerous. Among those problems are noise and vibration. Both these problems can make using the machine unpleasant, not only for the person who is directly operating it but for others who are around it as well.

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Everything comes in contact with vibration – with sensitive equipment like a scale, vibration can cause inaccurate readings and can increase the time needed for the scale to zero out. Vibration can be present within any working environment and may cause multiple problems. The use of a vibration damping material such as a specific isolator can reduce or even eliminate destructive vibration.

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All products need to be protected from the damages of vibration both while en route to their new location and upon arrival in that location. Vibration can be deadly to many types of products from the very small to the very large, even if it does not seem to be a technical item. Even an item that does not have its own motor can be damaged by excessive vibration during its transportation and may never be fully the same again because of it. That is why protecting precious cargo with vibration isolation pads is so vitally important.

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The effects of space, especially long term missions have long been known. Astronauts returning from the International Space Station must endure a number of health setbacks even though most leave in top physical condition at the start of their mission. Most specifically, a condition called spaceflight osteopenia, or the loss of bone mass because of the lack of gravity is not only common but very serious.

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Often thought of as a problem only for industrial occupations that involve heavy machinery, the concept of whole body vibration is actually something that affects every single person, no matter what their line of work is. When you drive to and from your job, you are exposed to vibration in your vehicle. It is not the kind of vibration that is always the reason there are problems but the cumulative effect of the vibration that makes it a danger. The more vibration you are exposed to, the more likely you are to have some kind of damage or injury whether it is minor and short term or more disabling and long term.

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Hand held tools are meant to be used by a human operator, typically for long hours per day. The accumulated wear and tear on both the tool and the operator can be substantial, especially in terms of the vibration that is built up from the repeated and often very rapid action of the tool. In some cases, some of the vibration and its ill effects can be damped or mitigated through specific design features of the tool itself, but that is often not enough to protect the human user from discomfort from the use of the tool.

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In the world of protective gloves, especially when it comes to vibration control, all materials are not created equally. OSHA, the agency that determines what does and does not qualify as “protective wear,” warns that certain gloves, frequently labeled as “protective” by the manufacturer, do not meet its minimum standard for protection against excessive vibration and may not afford any type of protection for a condition known as “white finger syndrome”. Those gloves tend to be made of cotton, leather or a combination of the two and do not decrease vibration at all. In addition, there are a number of types of vibration damping gloves that are also deemed ineffective against this condition, which can range from mild to debilitating and may be either temporary or permanent in the case of long term exposure to excessive vibration.

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