Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common occupational health hazard there is and the HSE estimates that around 17,000 people in the UK suffer deafness, tinnitus or other ear conditions as a result of exposure to excessive noise at work. In addition to damaging hearing, loud noise has the potential to impact your concentration, cause mental stresses, and break focus which can put your workers in danger.
Fortunately, protecting your employees and their hearing is easily done by simply removing or reducing the exposure to noise. This guide will provide you with some basic information regarding what to consider when it comes to workplace noise.
"Where there are reasonably practicable things you can do to reduce risks from noise, that are reasonably practicable, they should be done."
What are some of the main sources of noise at work?
Although workplace noise is prevalent in some way in almost all workspaces, there are a few where it is more likely to occur. Examples include manufacturing, entertainment, agriculture, textiles, demolition or road repair, woodworking, construction, ship-building, and airport ground staff.
Examples of noise sources include:
- The use of heavy machinery
- Pneumatic tools such a drills, grinders, hammers, and riveting guns
- Workplace transport
- Electrical tools such as circular saws and cutter heads
- Production lines
- Loud music
- Electrical motors and generators
- Engineering processes such a metal fabrication
In order to assess whether or not you have a noise problem at work, you will need to determine how loud the noise is and how long people are exposed to it. If the noise is intrusive, makes employees have to raise their voices to carry out a conversation when about 2m meters apart or if power tools are used for more than half an hour each day then you will need to do something about the nose.
How is Noise Measured?
The unit of measurement used in order to measure noise levels and emphasise which pitches and levels affect human ears the most is decibels (dB). The scale is logarithmic which means that an increase of 3 dB results in a doubling of the sound pressure. An example of an instance with a lower decibel would be a quiet room at night (20 dB) whereas a higher one could include an aircraft taking off 25 metres away (140 dB). As such, it is vital morally and legally, as an employer to assess the noise and reduce it where possible using special equipment to that reduce exposure to noise levels.
The level of noise that is likely to damage a person’s hearing varies depending on the individual and the duration, but there are guidelines in place to monitor this and legal maximums in place. For example, a worker can be exposed to a certain level of dB (A), but only for a certain amount of time.
- 85 dB (A) – 8 hours
- 93 dB (A) – 4 hours
- 96 dB (A) – 2 hours
- 99 dB (A) – 1 hour
- 110 dB (A) – 4m 44 seconds
- 140 dB (A) – 28 second
You will also need to include the need to wear hearing protection in your safety policy and are encouraged to appoint someone who has the authority to ensure employees are using hearing protection when required to do so.
What Are The Regulations?
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require employers to do the following
- Assess the risks to your employees from noise at work
- Reduce the noise exposure that produces those risks
- Provide hearing ear protection if the noise exposure cannot be reduced enough by using other methods
- Make sure the legal limits on noise exposure are not exceeded
- Provide workers with information instruction and training
- Carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to health
However, these regulations don’t necessarily apply to instances where low-level noise is a nuisance but causes no risk of hearing loss.
For further information regarding noise monitoring services how we can help your business, you can contact us.
