Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 only days away 28/03/06

A communications campaign is underway to remind employers of the actions that may be necessary in their workplaces to comply with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 which come into force on the 6th April 2006¹, replacing the 1989 legislation.
Workplaces which fell within the scope of the 1989 Regulations should already have measures in place, and the main effect is likely to be a need to review risk assessments and prioritise noise-control measures. Employees whose use of hearing protection under the 1989 Regulations was advisory will now have to wear the protection supplied. HSE wishes to place before employers the simple 'rules of thumb'² that enable them to test whether the new regulations may apply.

¹ Employers in the music and entertainment sectors have a further 2 years transitional period, as the new Regulations do not come in to force in these sectors until 6th April 2008. Meanwhile they must continue to comply with the Noise at Work Regulation 1989 by ensuring they minimise the risk of hearing damage to their employees.

² The simple rules of thumb that may indicate you have a noise problem are:

• you're surrounded by intrusive noise for most of the working day;
• you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone just 2 metres away, for at least part of the day;
• you use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than 30 minutes a day;
• you work in a noisy industry such as construction, road repair, engineering or manufacturing;
• your work causes impacts such as hammering, drop forging, pneumatic impact tools, etc.;
• you work with explosive sources such as cartridge-operated tools, detonators, or guns.

Comment:
"Over 1 million employees in Great Britain are exposed to levels of noise which put their hearing at risk. The costs to industry, society and, most importantly, the people who suffer deafness or permanent hearing damage as a result of exposure to noise at work, are considerable. The new Regulations introduce a reduction in the acceptable noise levels at work. The action values have gone down by 5dB and there is a welcome focus on noise control rather than just taking measurements. Employers should consider changes of process, engineering controls, changes of workplace lay out, or controlling the amount of time individuals spend in noisy areas.
Full compliance with the new Regulations would over time eliminate occupational noise-induced hearing loss.
Employees newly covered by the Regulations are at relatively lower risk, and the employer will need to put in place proportionate noise reduction measures and provide hearing protection on request." - HSE Chief

Copies of Controlling noise at work L108, ISBN 0 7176 6164 4, price £13.95