Understanding Vibration White Finger
Each year, the no win, no fee solicitors who work with YouClaim deal with hundreds of Vibration White Finger compensation claims.
All are regulated by the high standards of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and have a reputation for sensitivity success.
Few people are aware of the debilitating effects of Vibration White Finger and the way its symptoms can affect sufferers' lives.
Here at YouClaim, we decided, that for the benefit of those who are not yet educated about VWF, as well as for those who may be considering making a VWF claim, we'd ask two people with the condition to explain how its symptoms have had an impact on their lives.
The 31-year-old former road worker
At 28, having worked a lot of morning shifts using vibrating machinery, in the winter of 2004, Jon found that his capacity to do his job was greatly reduced. Increasingly, the cold mornings coupled with the equipment he was using left him in pain and discomfort.
After seeing his doctor, he was advised to cease his line of work at the time, or risk increased VWF damage.
Unfortunately for Jon, he also found that he was no longer able to pursue his two main passions snooker and darts with anything like the same intensity to which he had become accustomed.
Three years on and one successful no win, no fee claim later, Jon has now retrained as a tollbooth operator and is back playing both snooker and darts. However, last winter he still found himself in great discomfort and recalls, with embarrassment, that Vibration White Finger symptoms sometimes prevented him from doing up the buttons on his work uniform, "There are times when I've just had to bite the bullet and ask my flatmate to help.
"I draw the line at my flies though. I've stopped buying trousers with button-up flies now, I only ever go for ones that fasten with a zip. Although I'm usually fine in summer, winter can still be pretty horrible."
The 43-year-old sander
Jill had enjoyed a 19-year career as a sander. She knew about the symptoms of Vibration White Finger as a colleague of hers had been forced to make an industrial illness compensation claim for the disease in 1999.
So when, in 2002, she started suffering from fatigue, nausea, general irritability as well as cold, numb and white fingers, she worried that she too might be suffering VWF.
It turned out that she was right. At first she tried to manage her VWF by taking extended breaks from her job, but it soon became clear that this solution was neither sufficient nor practicable.
In 2005, after 10 months on Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, she was awarded £9,000 in Vibration White Finger compensation.
She tells us that despite being removed from the cause of her VWF, it still affects her life, "It was a very difficult thing to do, but in January I finally stopped smoking. It has helped alleviate the symptoms, but there are still things I can't do.
"Doing something as simple as putting my hands on the steering wheel can cause me a lot of pain. And unless I'm feeling really good, there is no way I can get on my mountain bike anymore.
"I can still get angry thinking about my employers lack of concern for my health. I gave them nearly twenty years of service, yet when I came to them with the warning signs, they just didn't seem interested. Compensation helped, but I'd do anything to have the same level of wellbeing and financial security I had before VWF."
Making a Vibration White Finger claim
If you are one of the thousands of people in the UK who suffer from VWF through exposure to excessive vibration in the workplace, you may be entitled to claim compensation.
Here at YouClaim, our panel is comprised of many of the UK's leading industrial illness solicitors who, between them, possess unrivalled experience in resolving VWF claims.
Our service is completely cost-free. In addition, we protect you from all legal fees and guarantee that we'll never take a cut from your Vibration White Finger compensation award.
If you wish to begin your no win, no fee claim today, simply call 0800 10 757 95. Alternatively, you can fill out a claim form online, request a call back or discuss your claim live on e-chat.
