January 18, 1996. Copyright, 1996, Graphic News. All rights reserved

VIBRATION WHITE FINGER
By Nicholas Booth

LONDON, January 18, Graphic News- As diseases go, it's hardly well known, but for the many thousands who suffer from its excruciating effects, it can be incapacitating. The chances are you'll hear a lot more about Vibration White Finger now that the High Court has ruled that British Coal is liable to compensate nine former miners in the North East. It is estimated that up to a hundred thousand claims may follow now that a legal precedent has been set.

Also known as Ôdead handÕ or Raynaud's Phenomenon, the condition results from the gradual reduction of blood supply to the hands from prolonged usage of vibrating equipment. This reduction causes damage to nerves and results in the sufferer not being able to feel any sensations in the hand. The disease also makes it very difficult to handle small objects or manipulate their fingers. Blue collar workers in factories, farmers and forestry workers who come into regular contact with drills and pneumatic equipment may also suffer from the disease.

The High Court ruled this week that British Coal had not kept informed about the condition or taken the proper steps to prevent it. If, as expected, there is an avalanche of claims, compensation bills may now run into many hundreds of millions of pounds against British Coal which, since privatisation, has become a shell company selling land and properties.

Sources: The Guardian, National Union of Mineworkers