As a leading provider of systems and solutions for the professional construction industry, Hilti prides itself in being at the forefront of research for innovative and ingenious solutions that minimise health and safety risks posed to the operators of its tools.

In line with this, the company has designed tools, like the unique Active Torque Control (ATC) system, that guarantees the highest possible level of safety with the lowest possible risk to its operator, says Mutaz Al Maani, regional marketing manager at the Hilti regional office based in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Hilti’s ATC system is fitted on the TE 56 and TE 76 P Combi hammers which, in addition to the slip clutch, stops the machine in a fraction of a second should the drill bit get jammed in the base material. The ATC technology is designed specifically to ensure that the risk posed to operators by the sudden stop in the rotation of the bit is minimal, thereby reducing the chances of the operator of suffering from wrist and shoulder injuries or even more serious injuries should the operator be working at a height and loose his balance as a result of the drill bit getting jammed, Al Maani says.
“But health and safety hazards are sometimes not so clear cut and immediate: vibrations, noise and dust are today the most prominent factors that define the level of risk posed to an operator on any construction site,” he adds.
Since 2006, European regulations have become increasingly stringent when it comes to vibrations, as it has been proven that a high level of hand-arm vibration can damage blood vessels, nerves in the fingers, bones and muscles. Long-term exposure can result in Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), also known as dead hand or Raynaud‘s Syndrome and  three key factors have been identified as influencing susceptibility to HAVS: duration of exposure; tool vibration level and the amount of vibration transferred from tool to the hand.
As a result, the time an operator is allowed to handle a tool is substantially decreased according to its level of vibration, which in turn directly affects his productivity. For this very reason Hilti tools, with their consistently low vibration levels, allow on the one side a higher level of productivity while at the same time safeguarding the wellbeing of the operator.
The innovations brought forward by Hilti to reduce vibrations/increase productivity are best represented by its Active Vibration Reduction (AVR) system which comes in its most sophisticated form on the TE 706 AVR and TE 905 AVR breakers: at the centre of this system is a unique design that completely isolates the hammering mechanism from the tools’ body and handles, which are also comfortably padded in soft and anti-slip rubber, which reduces vibrations by 50 per cent when compared to its non-AVR models.