Benefits of Noise Monitoring

• Helps to improve management of occupational health risks.
• Objective data to help demonstrate compliance with regulation.
• Data availability for insurance company or regulatory authority if requested.
• Target ‘as low as reasonably practical’ (ALARP) using monitoring data.
• Use the data to develop Safe Systems of Work (SSOW).
• Helps to ensure staff training and regimes are sufficient for the roles they are expected to undertake.

Recognised Health Problems – What you need to know

• Repeated exposure to loud noise can cause tinnitus and/or permanent hearing loss.
• Loud noise can create physical and psychological stress, reduce productivity, interfere with communication and concentration, and contribute to workplace accident and injuries by making it difficult to hear warning signals.

Regulations – in more detail

• The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (the Noise Regulations) replaced The Noise at Work Regulations 1989, which had been in force since 1990. The main differences from the 1989 Regulations are:
• The two principal action values for noise exposure have been reduced by 5 dB to 85 dB and 80dB;
• There are now two action values for peak noise at 135 dB and 137 dB;
• There are new exposure limit values of 87 dB (daily exposure and 140 dB (peak noise) which take account of wearing hearing protection and which must not be exceeded;
• There is a specific requirement to provide health surveillance where there is a risk to health.
• Risk assessment must also consider areas where noise, vibration or chemical exposures may interact. There is a suggested link whereby workers may be more vulnerable to noise induced hearing loss if they are exposed to hand arm vibration or chemicals such as solvents.