Vibration Front Handle

Specification
Updated 2026-08-24 · Read this page as Markdown

The vibration transmitted to the operator's hand at the front handle, expressed as an acceleration in m/s². It is one of the two figures used to estimate daily hand-arm vibration exposure.

Hand-arm vibration causes cumulative, permanent nerve and circulatory damage, and it is regulated for exactly that reason: the EU Physical Agents (Vibration) Directive sets a daily exposure action value of 2.5 m/s² A(8) and a limit value of 5 m/s² A(8). Those thresholds are eight-hour averages, so a saw with a higher declared figure is not forbidden — it simply buys you fewer trigger-hours per day. Declared values assume a sharp chain and sound anti-vibration mounts; a blunt chain forces you to push, which increases vibration well beyond the published figure. Compare this row with Vibration Rear Handle, since the two hands are rarely exposed equally.

This spec across the catalog

Recorded on 31 models in this database, from 2 m/s² to 4.9 m/s², averaging 3.67 m/s².

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Related terms

Anti-vibration system The set of rubber buffers or steel springs that separate the engine unit from the handles, reducing the vibration transmitted to the operator's hands. Its effectiveness is what the declared front and rear handle vibration figures measure. Chain brake A safety device that stops the chain almost instantly by clamping a steel band around the clutch drum. It is triggered either by pushing the front hand guard forward or, on inertia-activated saws, automatically by the sudden rotation of a kickback. Chainsaw chaps and PPE The personal protective equipment worn for chainsaw work: cut-resistant leg protection (chaps or trousers), a helmet with face screen and ear defenders, gloves and steel-toed boots. Cut-resistant garments contain long loose fibres that pull out, jam the drive sprocket and stall the chain on contact. Kickback The violent upward and backward rotation of the guide bar towards the operator, caused when the upper quadrant of the bar nose — the kickback zone — contacts wood, or when the chain is pinched in the top of the cut. It is the leading cause of serious chainsaw injuries. Sound Power Level The total acoustic energy the machine radiates in all directions, in dB(A), independent of where the listener stands. In the EU the guaranteed sound power level is the value that must appear on the machine's noise label. Sound Pressure Level The A-weighted noise level measured at the operator's ear position, in dB(A). It is the figure that describes what the person holding the saw is actually exposed to.

See also

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