Going Above and Beyond the Noise at Work Regulations

ALL EMPLOYERS are bound by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations. It is their legal responsibility to ensure that, where possible, noise levels are kept below 85dB(A), to prevent hearing damage and other health conditions associated with excessive noise exposure. Under the Control of Noise at Work regulations 2005 (Noise Regulations 2005), employers have a duty to provide employees with information, instructions and training.

The regulations state that an employer must do the following:

§  Assess the risks to their employees from noise at work;

§  Take action to reduce the noise exposure that produces those risks;

§  Provide their employees with hearing protection if they cannot reduce the noise exposure enough by using other methods;

§  Make sure the legal limits on noise exposure are not exceeded;

§  Provide their employees with information, instruction and training;

§  Carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to health.

These guidelines should not be seen as the limit, but the minimum you should aim for as an employer. Your employee’s hearing is the most important thing to consider when implementing your action plan. Using this as a baseline will also defend you against any potential claims in the future. 

Noise Warning Signs

Noise Activated Warnings Signs are a great example of how you can go above and beyond the regulations to better protect your employee’s. Based on a pre-defined noise level, these signs light up when triggered. They provide a highly visible alert as to when hearing protection should be worn. 

These signs are best placed at eye level and as close to your employee’s workstations as possible. Pair this with an alert beacon that will flash when the limit is exceeded to ensure maximum visibility. 

1:1 Octave Bands

Alerting staff of excessive noise levels is excellent, but you also need to ensure that the hearing protection that you provide to your employees is suitable. This is something that can be easily overlooked as, there is a chance that, if you haven’t carried out a proper hearing protection assessment, you could be under or over-protecting your employees. 

This is where 1:1 octave bands come in. Although, they aren’t required by the regulations, this feature on sound level meters will make picking the correct hearing protection a simple task. 

When looking for a meter to carry out your noise survey, look for one that includes 1:1 octave bands. This will show which frequencies are causing the most issues for your employees and when paired with a hearing protection database, ensures you are selecting the most appropriate PPE for each employee. Remember, not every employee will require the same protection.  

Reducing noise at the source

Identifying the source of noise and implementing new strategies to reduce noise levels around your employees is one of the most important things you can do. Even if a piece of equipment or a process isn’t at risk of exposing your employees to excessive noise, it is always best practice to be seen as actively looking for ways to reduce the amount of noise that you are exposing your workforce to. Ensure that loud machinery is placed away from surfaces that could reflect or amplify noise levels. For example, a piece of machinery that is connected to a wall may be producing a lot more noise than if the machinery were isolated away from any structures. 

Maintenance of equipment can play a big part in this, as equipment that is failing may have deteriorated and become noisier. Try to block the path of noise between your employees and the source or enclose noisy machinery to isolate the noise levels. Think of this as a sound barrier. 

Robert Dunn is a marketing specialist at Pulsar Instruments

www.pulsarinstruments.com