ISO 28927-10:2011

Overview

ISO 28927-10:2011 - "Hand-held portable power tools - Test methods for evaluation of vibration emission - Part 10: Percussive drills, hammers and breakers" - defines a laboratory, type-test method to measure hand‑transmitted vibration emission at the handles of percussive, hand‑held power tools. It covers portable rock drills, plug‑hole drills, rotary hammers, breakers (pavement/concrete/road breakers), riveting and chipping hammers, pick hammers and similar machines. The standard is intended to establish comparable vibration magnitudes for machine models and is applicable to pneumatic or otherwise driven percussive machines used on hard materials (rock, concrete, asphalt). It excludes jack‑leg and push‑feed rock drills and impact drills with direct mechanical impact mechanisms.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and machine family: Defines which percussive drills, hammers and breakers are in scope and clarifies excluded types.
• Measurement principles: Laboratory type‑test method based on ISO 20643, measuring hand‑transmitted vibration primarily at gripping areas.
• Three‑axis measurement & hand positions: Vibration is measured in three orthogonal axes and at both hand positions where applicable; transducers are typically positioned adjacent to the hand (between thumb and index finger) to minimize grip disturbance.
• Instrumentation requirements: Specifications for transducers, mounting, frequency‑weighting filters, integration time, calibration and auxiliary equipment.
• Testing & operating conditions: Defined machine operation, attached equipment, workpiece/task simulation, operator role and other boundary conditions to ensure repeatable type tests.
• Data handling: Procedures for measuring, combining axis values (root-sum-of-squares), averaging runs and operators, declaration/verification of vibration emission values, and reporting.
• Uncertainty & accessories: Annexes provide a model test report, methods for determination of measurement uncertainty, and design guidance (e.g., steel ball absorber).

Practical applications and users

• Manufacturers: Type‑testing product lines to declare vibration emission values for product literature and design improvements.
• Test laboratories: Implementing standardized lab measurements for certification, R&D and benchmarking.
• Occupational health & safety professionals: Using declared values to assess potential worker exposure and plan controls (together with workplace measurements per ISO 5349 where needed).
• Procurement and compliance teams: Comparing models by standardized vibration data when selecting tools for tasks with vibration risk.

Related standards

• ISO 20643 (principles for evaluation of vibration emission)
• ISO 5349 (measurement/evaluation of hand‑transmitted vibration in workplaces)
• Other parts of ISO 28927 (Parts 1–12 cover grinders, drills, rammers, saws, etc.)
• EN 12096 (declaration and verification of vibration emission values)

Keywords: ISO 28927-10, vibration emission, hand‑held portable power tools, percussive drills, rotary hammers, breakers, hand‑transmitted vibration, vibration measurement, type‑test, test methods.