HEARING PROTECTION
Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 is to prevent or reduce risks to health and safety from exposure to noise at work. To do this it is necessary to establish who is at risk, what the level of that risk is, what is causing the risk (what processes, machines, etc) and the priorities for action. The key to obtaining this information is an adequate Noise Risk Assessment. It is probably fair to say that noise risks are not
H
well understood by many industries and most lack the in-house expertise to carry out a good risk assessment without the aid of outside help. Because noise risks are often regarded as difficult to deal with and the measurement equipment is relatively complex to use, most companies tend to turn to an outside agency to construct a risk assessment for them. They assume that by employing outside expertise they were at the very least protected from further enforcement action or claims for noise induced hearing loss. But, unfortunately, in the experience of the
HSE, the quality of consultancy reports varies enormously to the extent that some do not even satisfy the minimum standard required by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.
A NOISE ASSESSMENT SHOULD: State whether there is a noise problem. Identify which employees are at risk, and why.
Give enough information to prioritise and plan the work needed to control the risks.
Detail what to do about the immediate risk (hearing protection, warning signs).
Help with instructing, informing and training employees about these issues
Is your noIse rIsk assessment up to scratch?
igh noise exposure will eventually cause deafness, tinnitus and possibly other types of damage. The basic duty of an Employer under the
TELL-TALE SIGNS THAT A NOISE ASSESSMENT IS NOT ADEQUATE:
Noise measurements do not relate to the jobs or tasks people carry out – they are simply spot readings taken around the workplace.
Noise exposures (i.e. the daily noise dose which is the energy equivalent noise level
over a working day with the symbol LEP,d) are not quoted. These must relate to individual workers or groups of workers.
No reference to legal duties imposed by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005) or the Action Values cited in them.
No Action Plan.
No advice on suitable hearing protection for individuals or groups.
22 may/June 2022 | IndustrIal complIance
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46
