Health & Safety
Noise at Work information for Employers
Exposure to loud noise at work can cause a number of health
problems including temporary and permanent deafness and Tinnitus.
It is estimated that over 1 million employees are exposed to levels
of noise, which put their hearing at risk.
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 requires employees
to prevent or reduce risks to health and safety from exposure to
noise at work.
Actions to be taken by Employers
- Assess the risks to your employees from noise at work
- Take action to reduce the noise exposure that produces those
risks
- Provide your employees with hearing protection if you cannot
reduce the noise exposure enough by using other methods
- Make sure the legal limits on noise exposure are not
exceeded
- Provide your employees with information, instruction and
training
- Carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to
health
The Regulations do not apply to:
- Members of the public exposed to noise from non-working
activities, or making an informed choice to go to noisy places
- Low-level noise, which is a nuisance but causes no risk of
hearing damage.
Identifying a Noise Problem
Are any of the following statements applicable in your
workplace? If so then you probably need to take action.
- Employees have to raise their voices to carry out a normal
conversation when about 2m away for at least some part of the
day
- Employees use noisy power tools or machinery for more than half
an hour each day
- The noise is intrusive, like a crowded restaurant or a vacuum
cleaner, for most of the day.
- You work in a noisy industry, e.g. construction, demolition,
canning or bottling.
- There are noises due to impact, explosive sources such as
cartridge operated tools or detonators or guns.
Action Levels
The Noise Regulations require employers to take specific action
at certain action values. These are outlined below:
|
NOISE LEVELS
|
EQUIVELENT LEVEL EXAMPLES
|
ACTIONS
REQUIRED |
|
Lower Exposure Action Values:
Daily or weekly (average) exposure = 80Db
Peak Sound Pressure = 135dB
|
- 80dB = tractor cab/ alarm clock
- 90dB = lawn mower/ power tools
- 130dB = jack hammer
- 140dB =jet engine
|
Provide hearing protection to employees if they request them and
noise levels are between the lower exposure values and upper
values. Controls should be put in place to reduce noise levels.
|
| Upper Exposure Action Values
Daily or weekly exposure = 85Db
Peak Sound = 137dB
|
See above |
When noise levels exceed these values employers must put in
place a planned programme of noise control.
Hearing protection must be provided when these values are
exceeded after other noise controls have been put in place.
Health Surveillance must be provided for all employees who are
regularly exposed to values above this level or to those who are
particularly sensitive.
|
| Exposure Limit Values Daily or weekly exposure = 87dB
Peak sound pressure = 140dB
|
See above |
These values must not be exceeded (taking in to account any
reduction provided by hearing protection) |
Control Measures
Should a potential noise problem be identified an employer needs
to assess the risks. Further information on risk assessments is
provided on the health and safety pages on the Dover District
Council website or alternatively you can find further information
in the leaflet, ‘Noise at Work',
produced by the Health and Safety Executive.
Where an assessment shows that employees are likely to be
exposed at or above the upper exposure action values, you must put
in place a planned programme of noise control. There are many
actions that you may be able to take. Employers should consider the
options listed below before relying on hearing protection.
- Use of different equipment e.g. purchasing quieter
equipment
- Use of different process or procedure to remove noise
source
- Changing Location of the noise source
- Changing Exposure time to noise source
- Use of engineering controls – e.g. avoiding metal on metal
impacts, reducing distance of drop heights and damping of
vibrations, fitting of silencers.
- Isolate source and path of noise – e.g. through use of
enclosures around machinery, use of screens and barriers to block
path.
- Use of absorptive materials in premise
Hearing protection should be issued to employees:
- Where extra protection is needed above what can be achieved
using noise control
- As a short term measure while other methods of controlling
noise are being developed.
Ongoing Work
Employers must remember to:
- Provide information to employees informing them of the likely
noise exposure and the risk to hearing this noise creates and what
controls you are putting in place
- Inform employees as to where and how they can obtain hearing
protection and how to report defects in equipment
- Inform employees of their duties under the Noise at Work
Regulations
- Provide training on the use of personal protective equipment
and noise control
- Provide health surveillance (hearing checks) for all employees
who are likely to be regularly exposed above the upper exposure
action values, or are at risk for any reason, e.g. they already
suffer from hearing loss or are particularly sensitive to
damage.
- Assess the risk whenever changes occur. The assessment should
be reviewed at least every 2 years even if no changes have occurred
to the noise levels, exposure time or employees
Further Information
For further information on health surveillance, noise risk
assessments and actions to control the risks the following websites
may be helpful:
Alternatively further guidance can be obtained by contacting the
Public Protection Team at env.health@dover.gov.uk.
Contact Environmental Health
E-mail: envhealth@dover.gov.uk
