Noise

Risk Assessment

Employers have a legal duty to identify if workers are at risk from noise. Indicators that you may have a noise problem within the workplace include;

• Intrusive noise within the work area.
• If you need to raise your voice to have a normal conversation when about 2 metres apart.
• If you use noisy powered tools or machinery.
• Working in a known high noise industry.
• Work with impact tools or equipment.

Your risk assessment should:

• Identify what you need to do to comply with the law.
• Identify where there may be a risk from noise and who is likely to be affected.
• Identify necessary controls – noise prevention or reduction measures in the first instance, and then assess the need for hearing protection if required.
• Obtain a reliable estimate of your employees' exposures and compare the exposure with the exposure action values and limit values.
• Use reliable information for the estimates (measurements by a competent person, information provided by machinery suppliers etc.).
• Identify any employees who need to be provided with health surveillance and whether any are at particular risk.

A calculator to estimate exposure to noise can be found here and can assist a competent person in estimating exposure levels.