The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (the Noise Regulations) introduced lower action levels at which employers must provide hearing protection and hearing protection zones, and reduced the level at which employers must assess the risk to workers' health. There is also a personal exposure limit value of 87dB(A), above which workers must not be exposed. You can find much more information about noise at work and the Noise Regulations on the HSE’s noise website. HSE’s noise website.
If yours is a noisy workplace, then your first step should be to assess your employee's exposure to noise and the key sources of exposure. WES can help you with these first and subsequent steps to prevent occupational exposure to noise, through:
- real time noise monitoring surveys to quantify personal noise exposures
- identification of exposure patterns and sources of noise exposure
- identification of areas of high noise/high risk of exposure
- assessment of compliance with Exposure Limit Values and Exposure Action Values
- evaluation of existing noise control measures
- recommendations for appropriate control strategies, including-
- training and information for employees, supervisors and managers
- health surveillance programme development
■engineering control measures
■advice on selection, use and fitting of hearing protection
■marking of hearing protection zones
