A High Court Judgment found that there was evidence of damage and a breach of a duty of care by British Coal with regard to Vibration White Finger in ex-miners [Armstrong & others 1996].

A medical assessment process (MAP) was developed to determine general damages.

195 doctors underwent a two-day training course. Eighteen examination centers were created across the United Kingdom (UK).

Standardization of the examination process across the UK, was critical to the success of the project. The examination consisted of symptom and medical history questionnaires, clinical examination and use of standardized tests. A modification of the Stockholm Workshop Scales and a scoring system were employed. Over 105,000 examinations have been completed

Analysis of results showed that 4.1% were assessed at 0SN, 18.4% at 1SN, 18.7% at 2 SN early and 36% at 2SN late with 22.9% at 3SN. 24.9% were at 0V, 15.3% at 1V, 37.7% at 2V and 22.1% at 3V

The sensorineural tests overcame the total reliance on the history however the CPT format used in this MAP was shown not to be of value in the assessment of the vascular component of HAVS.

The MAP was a practical method for assessing a large volume of claimants with suspected HAVS.