The Noise at work regulations
February 7th 2008

Following an oversight in an article published in December's issue of Health & Safety Matters, Scott health and safety offers the following, updated advice on hearing protection in the workplace.

The Noise at work regulations 2005 require employers to prevent or reduce the risks to health and safety from exposure to noise at work.

Employers are required to:

• Assesses the risks to employees from noise at work
• Take action to reduce the noise exposure that produces those risks
• Provide employees with hearing protection if the noise exposure cannot be reduced by other action
• Ensure that the legal limits on noise exposure are not exceeded
• Provide employees with information, instruction and training on the risk of hearing damage
• Carry out health surveillance for employees where there is a risk to their health

Action levels and limit values

The regulations require specific action to be taken at defined action values:

The limits set out in the regulations consider both a workers average exposure often referred to in dB(A) or ‘A’ weighting and maximum noise (peak sound pressure) in dB(C) or ‘C’ weighting which is a measure of peak, impact or explosive noises.

After preventative steps have been taken to control the noise at source, hearing protection is often the only way to reduce worker exposure, but it should not be used as an alternative to controlling noise at source.

The noise exposure action values are;

Lower exposure action values:

Daily or weekly exposure of 80dB

Peak sound pressure of 135dB

Upper exposure action values:

Daily or weekly exposure of 85dB

Peak sound pressure of 137dB

Level of noise not to be exceeded:

Daily or weekly exposure of 87dB

Peak sound pressure of 140dB

These exposure limit values take account of any reduction in exposure provided by hearing protection.

Making sense of these values

What does this mean?

80-85dB – An employer should provide employees with hearing protectors if they ask for them, between the lower and upper exposure action values. A worker can not be forced to wear hearing protection between these levels, it’s not the law.

85dB and above, an employer must provide employees with hearing protectors and ensure they are worn properly e.g conduct spot checks etc.

Identify and clearly mark ‘Zone’s’ where wearing hearing protection is compulsory.

Provide employees with training and information on how to use and care for the hearing protectors.

Ensure hearing protectors are properly used and maintained e.g check seals are undamaged etc.

An employer under the control of noise at work regulations 2005 has many responsibilities with regards to the use of hearing protection and managing noise in general. The employee however does have a responsibility to wear hearing protection in defined zones, which exceed the upper exposure level, where a company has provided hearing protection, defined and clearly marked where it should be worn and trained its employees in their use and maintenance. An employee who regularly fails to use hearing protection in these circumstances could not deem the company to be at fault and would normally be subject to the company’s disciplinary procedure.

For HSE advice on Noise at Work regulations visit: www.hse.gov.uk/noise/regulations.htm

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