Stockholm Workshop Scale may measure your VWF symptoms

Vibration White Finger, or VWF, can be measured on the Stockholm Workshop Scale. This is an updated version of the Taylor-Pelmear scales that were previously in use.

This scale recognises that vibration white finger, like other hand-arm vibration syndromes (HAVSs) such as Raynaud's Disease, can have a vascular component (regarding the vessels that move fluid in the body) and a sensory component (regarding the sufferer's sensations). It therefore gives a separate score to these aspects - the vascular scale runs from 0 to 4, where 4 is severe symptoms, while the sensory scale runs only to 3. They often, but not always, progress together.

The reason why medical professionals moved to the new scale is that the previous model had a high degree of subjectivity in the classifications it would make.

The new scale is not without subjectivity, but a Swedish study of over a hundred subjects exposed to vibration found that it would agree with the results of objective tests regarding pressure and dexterity, and agree very closely with those on temperature and pain.

The UK's Department for Work and Pensions notes some limitations to the scale, notably some loose wording that permits disagreement, and a lack of direct relations between the scale and UK legal criteria for disability assessment. However, this simply means that the scale should not be taken alone, but rather backed up with objective tests and the abilities of a personal injury lawyer, where necessary.

Making a VWF claim for compensation
If you are a sufferer from vibration white finger, you may be eligible to make a claim for compensation if your employers can be shown to be responsible for your exposure to vibration. Wherever you have been placed on the Stockholm Workshop Scale, you may be able to seek damages for lost earnings, expenses and distress resulting from your industrial disease.

YouClaim are ideally placed to help you with this; our team of personal injury lawyers is entirely drawn from no win, no fee solicitor firms, all governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and all able to work on your industrial disease case on an entirely free basis whether you win or lose.

Our expert advisors are waiting for your call now. You can reach us online - through our call-back form or our e-chat window - or through our free phone line, 0800 10 757 95. We look forward to helping you progress in your VWF compensation claim.