Latest technology:Listen and learn

In the UK, more than 11 million people suffer from some form of hearing loss, a figure that is expected to rise to 15.6 million by 2035. Hearing loss is a condition that can lead to disrupted sleep and concentration, possibly compromising safety due to the lack of general awareness, and in some cases, affect a person’s mental health. Ultimately, those affected can feel a real sense of isolation that affects both their working and personal lives. Health & Safety Executive (HSE) statistics cite 15,000 instances of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) throughout 2014/2015, caused or made worse by work.  

To assess the risk accurately, noise monitoring solutions can be installed into workplaces using a variety of equipment, depending on the risk and requirements. Noise dosimeters are suitable for personal exposure monitoring, whilst sound level meters can be used via walk through surveys or area monitoring to check workface regulations. Environmental noise measurements can be taken over short, medium or long periods of time with handheld, semi-permanent or permanent systems depending on the application. 

From October 2016, the new ISO45001 standard came into force, bringing a uniform standard to health and safety processes by encouraging businesses to develop the essential policy and objectives. As a result, the hazards and risks within any individual workplace need to be identified and plans must be put in place to eliminate them or reduce them to an appropriate level. 

ISO450001 will naturally highlight noise and dust exposure issues more than ever before and increase the current emphasis on monitoring. If noise exposure reaches 80 decibels (dB), the equivalent of a telephone dial tone, employers are legally bound to start taking action – indicating how prevalent noise monitoring may become in some workplaces that are not currently putting the right processes in place.

The prevalence of safety signs, hard hats and safety footwear on industrial sites is a positive sign of improvements in ‘safety’ awareness and the culture that has developed since the introduction of the Health & Safety at Work Act in 1974. This is the result of years of work and effort by employers and employees alike that has led to safety and the various processes that surround it, becoming a synonymous part of working life.  

Creating engrained ‘health’ recognition in a business is still a challenge. This is indicated by the recent Help GB Work Well scheme, created by the HSE to increase the current shift placed on health, specifically aimed at tackling ill-health.

As long latency health issues continue to receive wide attention and is further extended by HSE schemes and the latest ISO450001 standard, greater education to exposure monitoring is imperative. 

Worker ownership 

Currently, noise exposures are monitored using established technology and is the responsibility of occupational hygienists, a health and safety manager or someone who has been trained to use the equipment. Monitoring of individuals in a given workplace is a time-consuming process, considering the time needed to gather data and then assess and report the results.  

To increase the success of workplace noise monitoring, workers need to be engaged in the process, understanding its importance and the long term health issues that could result in not taking it seriously now. It could only take a slight shift in responsibility and improved awareness to bring about improved results. If individuals used the technology provided with noise monitoring devices and acted as real-time smart sensors, quantitative data would be captured more quickly and easily. This would lead to any risks or potential areas for concern being identified sooner, therefore reducing the long term health impact as workers would be armed with insights on which to modify their own behaviour.

The idea of workforces becoming virtual occupational hygienists is an exciting one. Casella has pioneered the path of remote monitoring of the worker, with Bluetooth enabled devices for both noise and dust. Equipment available now makes data more readily available, enables real-time decisions to be made, ensures workers are not disrupted and productivity can be maintained.