ISO 20643:2005

Overview

ISO 20643:2005 - Mechanical vibration - Hand-held and hand-guided machinery - Principles for evaluation of vibration emission - provides a structured basis for drafting vibration test codes and for type testing of hand-held and hand-guided power-driven machinery. The standard specifies how to determine hand-transmitted vibration emission in terms of frequency-weighted root-mean-square (r.m.s.) acceleration under controlled, repeatable test conditions. It applies to machines with handles or guiding beams (electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, internal combustion, etc.) but excludes fixed machinery where vibration is transmitted via the workpiece and steering-wheel/control-lever vibrations for operators seated on mobile machines.

Key Topics

• Scope and applicability: Guidance for hand-held tools (e.g., sanders, chipping hammers) and hand-guided machines (e.g., lawn mowers, vibratory rollers); not for fixed or seated-operator machinery.
• Measurement quantity: Frequency-weighted r.m.s. acceleration as the declared vibration emission value.
• Measurement directions: Translational vibration measured in three orthogonal directions at the hand–machine interface.
• Instrumentation requirements: Requirements for transducers, mounting, frequency weighting filters, integration time, calibration and auxiliary equipment to ensure reproducible results.
• Test conditions: Definition of operating conditions, tasks, attached equipment, and operator influence to make type tests representative of typical use.
• Procedure and validity: Measurement procedures, criteria for valid tests, reporting requirements and declaration/verification of emission values.
• Uncertainty and comparability: Emphasis on controlled test codes to allow comparison between machines, reproducibility across labs, and quantification of measurement uncertainty.
• Guidance for test code development: Annexed procedures for designing specific vibration test codes when no existing code exists.

Applications

• Manufacturers: To develop and declare vibration emission values for product documentation and design improvements.
• Test laboratories: For type testing and verification of hand-transmitted vibration using standardized methods.
• Standards committees: Basis for drafting type-C vibration test codes tailored to specific tool families.
• Safety and occupational health professionals: To obtain comparable emission data that support risk assessments and selection of lower-vibration equipment (note: ISO 20643 does not set exposure limits; see EN ISO 5349 for exposure assessment).
• Procurement and compliance teams: Compare vibration performance across models and suppliers using consistent measurement methods.

Related Standards

• EN ISO 12100 (machine safety principles)
• EN ISO 5349-1 / EN ISO 5349-2 (hand-transmitted vibration - exposure assessment)
• EN 12096 (declaration and verification of vibration emission)
• ENV 28041 / ISO 8041 (measuring instrumentation for human response to vibration)

ISO 20643:2005 is a Type‑B standard intended to ensure reproducible, comparable vibration emission data and to guide the creation of specific vibration test codes for hand-held and hand-guided machinery.