Did you know that employers have a duty under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 to protect their employees from noise?
When assessing noise in the workplace, it’s essential that we identify where noise is present and who might be most affected. Ideally, all companies where there is a level of noise, irrespective of industry, will regularly assess for workplace noise risk. If this is something you’ve never considered, you might find some handy pointers here.
Why do we assess noise?
Exposure to excessive noise at work can result in problems with temporary or permanent hearing loss. Continued exposure to noise, even when resolved within a few hours, could lead to permanent damage. Workers may also go on to develop tinnitus: a ringing or buzzing in the ears that can lead to disturbed sleep and other health complications.
If noise interferes with communication in the workplace, that is a safety hazard. When warnings can’t be heard, accidents can happen and because of the way that human ears work, just a 3db change in noise levels could be significant enough to prevent safe communication.
Penalties
The law is quite clear about your responsibilities as an employer once noise has been identified. Non-compliance could result in hefty fines and impact on the efficiency of your organisation. Ensuring that workplace noise exposure limits are not exceeded means that you will need to have regular risk assessments.
Getting started
Every workplace noise assessment should consider where noise levels are most dangerous.
In order to achieve compliance for workplace noise, it's essential that you can show that you have identified the levels of noise risk that exists, and who is most at risk of developing serious health complications arising from exposure to noise.
Ensuring that employees most at risk from exposure to noise are provided with equipment that can limit their risk, including noise defenders in some cases, can prevent serious health complications. These, and many more are examples of the types of necessary measures you will need to take in order to comply with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.
Why Safety First?
Safety First Group has been carrying out workplace compliance solutions for UK businesses for almost a decade. Our noise monitoring and risk assessment services are conducted by experienced technicians who measure the sound levels in your workplace and help identify causes of noise and who is most likely to be affected.
During a workplace noise assessment we will assess an employee's exposure to noise in the workplace, calculating their exposure over different time periods and concluding and making recommendations on the findings of our assessment.
Conducting regular noise risk assessments in the workplace essential in ensuring compliance and safeguarding employee health.
Reach out
If you don't have a dedicated compliance officer to carry out workplace noise assessments, it is highly recommended that you seek advice and support from a third-party compliance company.
All of our risk assessment reports are turned around within 25 working days, which means that if you make contact today, our friendly experienced health and safety consultants can get you started.
