As noise levels can be a major factor in work-related injuries and long-term conditions, it's important to understand as an employer what you can do to reduce or remove the risk to employees.
The General Application Regulations 2007, Chapter 1 of Part 5: Control of Noise at Work state that it is the employer's duty to remove or reduce risks to health and safety from noise, and hearing protection zones are designated areas of the workplace where access is restricted and where hearing protection is compulsory.
With that in mind, we have looked at the ways you can identify the sources and subsequently reduce noise in your workplace.
Risk Assessment
A noise risk assessment is required if any employee is likely to be exposed at or above the lower action value at work. Its aim is to help decide what actions are required to keep your employees healthy and safe.
You’ll know you need a risk assessment if:
The noise is intrusive for most of the working day
For at least part of the day you need to use a raised voice to have a conversation with someone two metres away
Noisy power tools or machinery are used for more than half an hour a day
You are working in noisy industries such as construction, road repair, engineering or manufacturing
There are noises from explosive sources, pneumatic impact tools, detonators or gun
An employer needs to make sure that risk from exposure to noise is either eliminated at source or, where this is not reasonably practicable, reduced to as low a level as possible.
Once the noise risk has been recognised, formal measures are required to reduce exposure to it. They should be implemented whenever an employee's exposure to noise is likely to exceed the upper exposure action values of 85 decibels for daily or weekly exposure, or a peak sound pressure of 137 decibels. But beware, hearing protection does not count as a control measure.
As a priority, establish whether the noise exposure can be prevented or reduced by:
Using quieter equipment or a different, quieter process
Bringing in engineering/technical controls to reduce, at source, the noise produced by a machine or process
Using screens, barriers, enclosures and absorbent materials to reduce the noise
Redesigning the layout of the workplace to create quiet workstations
Limiting the time people spend in noisy areas
Introducing a purchasing policy for low noise machinery and equipment
Regularly maintaining the machinery and equipment that takes account of noise
When or while a risk remains, an employer must make hearing protection available upon request to any employee likely to be exposed above the lower action value and provide hearing protection to any employee likely to be exposed above the upper action value.
Remember, hearing protection should only be used as a last resort where there are risks to health and safety that cannot be controlled by other means.
The rules around personal hearing protection are stringent. The General Application Regulations 2007, Chapter 1 of Part 5: Control of Noise at Work state that personal hearing protection should only be issued to employees when noise control measures cannot be achieved. They're very clear that employers should not use hearing protection as an alternative to controlling and managing noise.
When supplying personal hearing protection, it's an employer's duty to select the correct hearing protection and ensure it is suitable for the task and environment. They must also provide training on the use of the equipment and understand how to clean, maintain and when to replace their protection.
In April 2018, the PPE Directive was replaced by the new PPE Regulation. The new regulation reclassified hearing protection to Category III - designed to protect people from risks that may cause very serious consequences such as death or irreversible damage to health.
This move means that hearing protection is now subject to a strict conformity assessment procedure, which requires EU-type examination plus ongoing surveillance, so it's never been more important to keep on top of compliance and standards when it comes to noise at work regulations.
It is the employer's duty to provide hearing protection to employees that request them, if their noise exposure is between the lower and upper exposure action values.
Choosing Personal Hearing Protection
When selecting hearing protection, you need to consider:
Noise reduction (attenuation) offered by the protection
Frequency of the noise
Compatibility with other safety equipment e.g. hard hats, masks and eye protection
Pattern of the noise exposure
The need to communicate and hear warning sounds
Personal hearing protection must feature a permanent CE or UKCA marking to demonstrate that it fulfils the standards prescribed by the relevant legislation. They specify the constructional, design and performance requirements of personal hearing protection equipment, and include:
When it comes to noise at work, it's imperative that you choose quality products that suit the task, workplace and employee. Arco offers a range of hearing-related products suitable for the job.
Learn how to protect employees from noise and manage the risk by identifying hazards, conducting a risk assessment, and implementing the most appropriate solution.