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OCCUPATIONAL NOISE RISK ASSESSMENT
Under the Physical Agents (Noise) Directive 2003/10/EC issued by the European Parliament and the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 ,effective from April 2006...
Employers are required to risk assess the exposure of their employees to noise within the workplace against a set of revised exposure action and limit values.
The new regulations are intended to reduce the risk of occupational hearing damage i.e noise induced hearing loss and require an occupational noise risk assessment to be carried out in order to quantify personal noise exposure from processes or tasks that generate significant noise.
The assessor can then make an informed decision of the potential risk of noise induced hearing loss and make recommendations to reduce the risk to an acceptable level.
In order to achieve this, the assessment includes the following elements:
- The measurement and recording of broadband sound exposure levels at representative locations throughout the manufacturing environment where employees may be exposed to potentially high and harmful levels of noise.
- The calculation of the daily or weekly personal exposure to noise L EPD and peak noise LC PEAK exposure level.
- Octave band analysis (as considered applicable) at representative test locations including specific noise generating equipment and processes. This information can be utilised to assist with noise reduction programmes and the selection of appropriate hearing protection if these measures are proven to be necessary either on a temporary or permanent basis.
- The comparison of the calculated daily or weekly personal exposures and peak noise levels with the revised exposure action and limit values of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.
- The definition of the status of all assessed areas or tasks with reference to the specified action levels and associated risks and the identification of temporary or permanent hearing protection zones. This information can be presented as a site noise map.
- Guidance on the implementation and maintenance of an appropriate noise management and hearing conservation programme to reduce exposure to noise both in the short term but more importantly over the long term. This may involve developing a programme of noise reduction measures, the provision of appropriate information and training to employees and occupational hearing (audiometric) testing where the risk of noise induced hearing loss has been identified as high.
Equipment:
All survey work is carried out using Type 1 integrating, data logging sound level meters fitted with 1:1 Octave Band Filters and Type 2 Noise Dosimeters. All instruments are fully calibrated and traceable back to National Standards.
