10 YEARS SINCE HSE’S NOISE AT WORK REGULATIONS – TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT NOISE MEANS FOR INDUSTRY


The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (the Noise Regulations) came into force for all industry sectors in Great Britain on 6 April 2006 (except for the music and entertainment sectors where they came into force on 6 April 2008). The aim of the Noise Regulations is to ensure that workers’ hearing is protected from excessive noise at their place of work, which could cause them to lose their hearing and/or to suffer from tinnitus (permanent ringing in the ears). Ten years on from the HSE Noise Regulations were brought into force, we take a look at the problems associated with noise at work, and what employers must do to protect their staff.


Background to the Noise Regulations


Both the 1989 and the 2005 sets of noise regulations are based on European Union Directives requiring similar basic laws throughout the Union on protecting workers from the health risks caused by noise. They do not apply to members of the public exposed to noise from their non-work activities, or when they make an informed choice to go to noisy places or from nuisance noise.


The 2005 Noise Regulations replace the 1989 Noise Regulations and introduce new requirements for action to be taken by employers. For example, the 2005 Regulations require employers to take action to protect workers at levels of noise 5 decibels lower than in the 1989 Regulations and now require health surveillance (hearing checks) for workers regularly exposed above 85 decibels.


Many thousands of people are exposed to loud noise at work that may be a risk to their hearing. But compliance with the Noise Regulations will allow workers’ hearing to be protected. The level at which employers must provide hearing protection and hearing protection zones is now 85 decibels (daily or weekly average exposure) and the level at which employers must assess the risk to workers’ health and provide them with information and training is now 80 decibels. There is also an exposure limit value of 87 decibels, taking account of any reduction in exposure provided by hearing protection, above which workers must not be exposed.


How is Noise Measured?


Noise is measured in decibels (dB). An ‘A-weighting’ sometimes written as ‘dB(A)’, is used to measure average noise levels, and a ‘C-weighting’ or ‘dB(C)’, to measure peak, impact or explosive noises. You might just notice a 3 dB change in noise level, because of the way our ears work. Yet every 3 dB doubles the noise, so what might seem like small differences in the numbers can be quite signifi cant.


IET January / February 2016 www.envirotech-online.com The Health Effects of Noise at Work


Noise at work can cause hearing loss that can be temporary or permanent. People often experience temporary deafness after leaving a noisy place. Although hearing recovers within a few hours, this should not be ignored. It is a sign that if you continue to be exposed to the noise your hearing could be permanently damaged. Permanent hearing damage can be caused immediately by sudden, extremely loud, explosive noises, eg from guns or cartridge-operated machines.


But hearing loss is usually gradual because of prolonged exposure to noise. It may only be when damage caused by noise over the years combines with hearing loss due to ageing that people realise how deaf they have become. This may mean their family complains about the television being too loud, they cannot keep up with conversations in a group, or they have trouble using the telephone. Eventually everything becomes muffl ed and people fi nd it diffi cult to catch sounds like ‘t’, ‘d’ and ‘s’, so they confuse similar words.


Hearing loss is not the only problem. People may develop tinnitus (ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears), a distressing condition which can lead to disturbed sleep.


Remember: Young people can be damaged as easily as the old.


Do You Have a Noise Problem at Work? This will depend on how loud the noise is and how long people are exposed to it. As a simple guide you will probably need to do something about the noise if any of the following apply:


• Is the noise intrusive - like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant - for most of the working day?


• Do your employees have to raise their voices to carry out a normal conversation when about 2 m apart for at least part of the day?


• Do your employees use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour each day?


• Do you work in a noisy industry, eg. construction, demolition or


road repair; woodworking; plastics processing; engineering; textile manufacture; general fabrication; forging, pressing or stamping; paper or board making; canning or bottling; foundries?


• Are there noises due to impacts (such as hammering, drop forging, pneumatic impact tools etc.), explosive sources such as cartridge operated tools or detonators, or guns?


Noise can also be a safety hazard at work, interfering with communication and making warnings harder to hear. Some examples of typical noise levels are shown in the graphic.


Employers’ Responsibilities - Legal Duties What do the regulations require you to do?


The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (Noise Regulations 2005) require employers to prevent or reduce risks to health and safety from exposure to noise at work. Employees have duties under the Regulations too. The Regulations require you as an employer to:


• 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 their non-work activities, or making an informed choice to go to noisy places;


• low-level noise that is a nuisance but causes no risk of hearing damage.


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