29/09/2005 - Features
Part 3: The Control of Noise at Work Regulations (2005)
In the UK, the main requirements of new regulations are actually not that different to those currently in place. These require:
> The carrying out risk assessments
> The provision of protection to workers exposed to different levels of noise
> The provision of information, instruction and training to employees as to the risk of damage to their hearing from noise exposure.
Perhaps the main difference between the old and new regulations is a change in so-called action and limit values. Basically, this means that the acceptable noise levels at work are to be reduced, no doubt bringing more workplaces within the scope of what appears to be a more complicated set of rules!
To understand these limits it is necessary to explain how daily and weekly personal exposures to noise are calculated, as well as peak sound level.
Daily personal noise exposure (written as LEP,d) is a measure of the total noise received by an employee over the course of a working day. For the purposes of the new regulations, this is set according to decibels averaged over an eight hour period, or dB(A).
If someone works for eight hours under a constant sound of 80 decibels their daily exposure would be (LEP,d) 80 dB(A). If, for a short period the sound increased, then obviously the average would increase slightly.
Also, if someone worked for only 4 hours at 80 dB(A), but spent the remaining 4 hours of work in quiet conditions then the daily exposure amount would reduce considerably. Conversely, working more than 8 hours at 80 dB(A) would cause the daily exposure to increase beyond this level.
It is also possible to calculate a weekly personal noise exposure, or LEP,w, in a similar way to the daily measure, but using a forty hour week (five 8 hour days). A final calculation to understand is the peak sound level. This is simply the level of sound occurring at any single time at work, and is written as dB(C).
The regulations state that employers must take certain actions according to different daily, weekly and peak sound levels in the workplace.
The lower exposure action values are set at either (LEP,d ) 80dB(A) - daily, (LEP,w) 80dB(A) - weekly or 135 dB(C) - peak. If these are likely to be exceeded then the employer must carry out a risk assessment. This must assess the levels of noise to which workers may be exposed as well as considering the effects of noise exposure on the health of employees and ways available of reducing such exposure.
Also, suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training must be given to employees, health surveillance measures put in place (including hearing tests) and hearing protection made available on request. All such equipment must be properly maintained.
Upper exposure values are set at either (LEP,d ) 85dB(A) - daily, (LEP,w) 85dB(A) - weekly, or 137 dB(C) - peak. Here, the employer must take similar action to that which is required at the lower values, but also reduce exposure to as low a level as is reasonably practicable by establishing and implementing a programme of "organisational and technical measures" excluding the provision of personal hearing protectors.
Such changes may include other working methods, use of equipment emitting a lower noise, rest periods or alteration of the layout of the workplace. The provision of compulsory hearing protectors would be used as a last resort.
The new exposure limit values of (LEP,d ) 87dB(A) - daily, (LEP,w) 87dB(A) - weekly, or 140 dB(C) - peak, must never be exceeded. If it is, then employer must identify the reason and take steps to ensure it does not happen again.
Finally, the new regulations also place a grater emphasis on consultation between employers and employees and their representatives...