ISO 5349-3:2025

Overview

ISO 5349-3:2025 - Mechanical vibration - Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to hand-transmitted vibration (HTV) - Part 3: focuses on isolated and repeated hand-transmitted shock (HTS) using the frequency range of ISO 5349-1 (nominally octave bands from 8 Hz to 1 000 Hz). The standard specifies general requirements, measurement procedures and metrics for evaluating shock-type vibrations produced by hand-held, hand-guided or hand-fed machinery. It complements ISO 5349-1 and ISO 5349-2 and references instrumentation requirements in ISO 8041-1.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and definitions: Defines isolated, repeated and continuous shock vibrations and related terms (e.g., shock, HTS, repetition rate).
• Frequency range and weighting: Primary evaluation uses the frequency range covered by ISO 5349-1 with a flat frequency weighting component of the W weighting; the standard recognises that HTS often has higher-frequency content and recommends reporting higher-frequency data where useful.
• Measurement parameters:
  • Vibration Peak Magnitude (VPM) - a metric representing the mean of peak acceleration amplitudes for HTS events.
  • Repetition rate (R) and mean repetition rate for periodically repeated shocks.
  • Triaxial measurements and computation of instantaneous total acceleration values (x, y, z).
  • Sampling, measurement period and transducer coupling - guidance on sensor location, orientation and data acquisition to ensure repeatability and comparability.
• Instrumentation and uncertainty: Instruments conforming to ISO 8041-1 are recommended; references to uncertainty guidance (GUM) are included.
• Reporting and test reports: Standard specifies required information for emission data, measurement conditions and parameters to support regulatory and research use.

Practical applications and users

ISO 5349-3:2025 is intended for:

• Machine and tool manufacturers - to evaluate and reduce HTS emissions and to comply with emerging regulatory requirements (for example, EU machinery safety rules requiring mean peak acceleration reporting).
• Occupational health and safety professionals - to assess worker exposure to shock vibration and to design control/mitigation measures.
• Test laboratories and instrument manufacturers - to standardize measurement methods, sampling and reporting.
• Researchers studying health effects of repeated and isolated shocks and developing exposure-response relationships.

Typical equipment covered: nail guns, road breakers, grinders, saws and other hand-held tools that produce percussive or impulsive vibration.

Related standards

• ISO 5349-1: Measurement and evaluation - general requirements (basis for HTV risk estimates)
• ISO 5349-2: Practical workplace measurement guidance
• ISO 8041-1: Instrumentation for vibration measurement
• ISO/IEC Guide 98-3 (GUM): Uncertainty of measurement

Keywords: ISO 5349-3:2025, hand-transmitted shock, HTS, hand-transmitted vibration measurement, VPM, flat frequency weighting, 8–1000 Hz, ISO 5349-1, ISO 8041-1.