Being subjected to loud noise may cause deafness and other types of hearing damage.

The employer has a duty under the Noise at Work Regulations 1989 to reduce the risk of damage to employees’ hearing.

The main requirements apply to the employees’ daily personal exposure to noise. This takes into account the noise levels in the workplace and the exposure duration over a working shift.

Factors that contribute to hearing damage are:

noise levels [given in decibel units dB(A)]
how long people are exposed to the noise, daily and over a number of years
Employers have to reduce risk of damage to employees' hearing and take specific actions where the noise exposure of their employees is likely to be at or above any of three 'action levels'.

Action levels

Currently (under the Noise at Work Regulations 1989) the first action level is a daily personal noise exposure of 85 dB (A), the second action level is a daily personal noise exposure of 90 dB (A), and the peak action level is a peak sound pressure of 200 pascals.
When the new Noise at Work Regulations come into force in April 2006, the first action level will be 80 dB(A) and a peak value of 112 pascals, the second action level will be 85 dB(A) and 140 pascals, and there will be a limit value of 87 dB(A) and 200 pascals. The limit value will take into account the reduction afforded by hearing protection.

Employers are required to take specific measures at these levels, including

Carrying out noise assessments
Reducing exposure
Providing information and training for employees
Issuing personal hearing protection

Project Summaries:

Heavy Engineering Company
Noise assessments undertaken on multiple sites to meet the requirements of the Noise at Work Regulations 1989 and to highlight areas where additional control measures or process change may be required for compliance with the Noise at Work Regulations 2006.
In addition the suitability of current hearing protection was assessed and recommendations made to ensure that the choice of hearing protection provided gave rise to suitable attenuation.

The major findings of the surveys were that at present the client was in compliance with the current regulations, however there were many locations and processes and identified where the client was advised to examine the feasibility of process change or implementation of noise reduction measures to make sure that the employees personal exposure to noise would be reduced when the new regulations are implemented in 2006. The selection of hearing protection provided by the client was suitable for use but the client was advised to attenuate the noise at source where reasonably practicable to reduce the dependency on Personal Protective Equipment.

White Goods Manufacturer
Noise measurements where carried out following the installation of new process machinery and modifications to existing plant, to assess the impact on the personal exposure of employees in the factory and to determine if demarcation of new noise hazard zones would be applicable.

The assessment highlighted that there was a significant increase in one location due to reverberant noise and guidance was given to the client regarding the use of acoustic screening to reduce the noise impact in that location.

Automotive Manufacturer
Noise survey to determine personal exposure for employees in a production line where compressed air powered tools where utilised. The assessment identified that employees’ exposure was above the second action level as defined in the Noise at Work Regulations 1989. The dominant noise source was high frequency arising from leaks within numerous compressed air lines. The client was advised to undertake a programme of repair and replacement where applicable, resulting in a major reduction in noise and a cost saving due to less energy being used by the compressors.