NOISE ASSESSMENTS FOR ALL WORKPLACES
Industrial noise surveys and noise reports
Occupational noise risk assessments for employee noise exposures
All UK covered ● Experienced noise assessor ● Daily average exposures
Assessment of hearing protection ● Wearable and hand-held noise monitoring
Institute of Acoustics certified ● NEBOSH Diploma ● 30 years of experience
Noise assessments to meet the HSE’s Noise Regs.
“My boss is very impressed with the noise assessment report that we got from you. It is so easy to read and full of advice and information.”
Production Manager, Brighton.
What is an occupational noise assessment?
A noise assessment or noise survey is a measurement of the noise risks which employees face at work, it is a measurement looking at daily noise exposures and what needs to be done to control the risk.
As well as the noise levels, a noise assessment looks at hearing protection to make sure it is suitable for the noise risks present, identifies other possible noise reduction measures, looks at what signage is needed, and flags who needs other mandatory actions such as noise safety training and health surveillance (the regular hearing testing).
A noise assessment should not be a list of decibels but should frame the results in such a way that it makes clear what individual employee noise exposures are, which can be a combination of jobs or machines.
My noise assessments and the report give clear plain-English advice on exactly what the noise risks are in the workplace and outline what employers need to do to manage the noise risk for employees. The noise assessment covers the noise measurements needed to keep the HSE happy and tells you exactly what ongoing measures are needed for noise regs compliance, in an easy to follow way.
What is a noise assessment - a quick guide to what a noise assessment contains for employers.
“Morning Adam, once again thank you for an excellent noise assessment report for our Bolton site.”
Production Manager for chain of packaging sites, September 2024
Workplace noise assessment specialist, any industry, any location
I focus on just one thing, noise assessments, done well.
Clearly an expert
Onsite workplace noise assessments
Using high quality wearable and Type 1 hand-held noise meters and dosimeters, I can undertake noise assessments in workplaces with anything from two to 2000 employees, anywhere in the UK. With up to 15 noise meters in use, quite large areas can be covered quickly and effectively.
Employer’s noise survey report
My noise assessment reports are written to give clear advice for the employer with straight-forward ‘these are your noise exposure levels and this is what you need to do next’ advice. The additional technical detail is also then included for those who wish to dive deeper.
Extensive noise safety experience
Whether this is good or a bit tragic I am unsure, but I now have over three decades of experience in noise assessments for the Noise Regs, including 20 years as a specialist noise assessor undertaking noise assessments in a huge variety of workplaces, from Inverness to Cornwall.
Daily noise exposures vs machine levels
The Noise Regs focus on daily exposures but for some industries this doesn’t quite fit, e.g. joinery workshops or engineering sites where what is done on one day has no relation to any other days. I have a lot of experience in these and can present the noise assessment in a way which still fits.
My noise assessments give clear, simple guidance for employers on who is at risk, to what level of risk, and what the employer needs to do next for noise safety. Having sat on your side of the desk for many years I write my noise assessment reports in a clear non-jargon-laden way so employers get clear information rather than a massive table of rather baffling numbers and dense noise-nerd terminology.
I have done noise assessments from Inverness to Cornwall, Kent to Pembrokeshire, in engineering, joinery, food, packaging, armed forces, NHS, vehicle construction, ships out at sea and a lot more.
Whatever your industry, wherever you are in the UK, I can provide a high quality workplace noise assessment for you.
“Thank you for the noise assessment report, very informative and very well put together”
Engineering site’s Managing Director, Wolverhampton, on a noise assessment for them in 2024.
Why choose me for your noise assessment?
As the company name implies, I am a noise nerd through and through. IOA certified, NEBOSH Diploma, and over 30 years of experience in workplace noise assessments.
I have also done thousands of workplace hearing tests, meaning I also have a thorough overview of the health issues with excess noise.
Noise assessments have minimal impact on the day
Point me at the area you want the noise survey to cover and I will assess the dB(A) and peak dB(C) levels, using whichever type of noise meter best suits the jobs taking place.
Noise measurements are made for as long as is needed to get a good result. For jobs which are not running, sample measurements can be done.
The final employer’s noise assessment report
My noise assessment report gives a summary of the key findings for those who want a quick over-view, followed by specific details and recommendations for those who want to dive into it more deeply.
I go through hearing protection, identify who needs noise safety training and who may need the ongoing health surveillance as specified in the Noise Regs.
“I would just like to thank you for your time on site, and the professional manner in which the noise assessment was conducted. Your report also reflects this, I've found it very easy to read and from which to produce an action plan.” - MD of an engineering site, Newcastle
Noise assessment quote
More information on noise assessments
-
Noise levels
I measure the noise levels and give comparison to the Noise Regs limits.For noise nerds - I measure dB(A), dB(C) peaks, and give eight-hour daily averages (or longer if alternative shifts are used). I will use hand-held and wearable noise meters - whichever is most appropriate for the job.
Hearing protection assessment
I will assess the current hearing protection against the noise levels present to confirm all is OK. I will also give alternatives and tell you what SNR to aim for so you can choose others as needed in the future.Other advice
Such as some suggested noise reduction measures, who needs hearing protection, who needs hearing testing (audiometry), etc.Other info
Sometimes 'less is more' is definitely true and that especially applies to noise assessments. Pages and pages of technical jargon and numbers are all fairly meaningless if there is no clear presentation of what it means. My noise assessment reports are rather marvellous if I say so myself. -
Technically there is a difference and what you need is a noise assessment.
A noise assessment is measuring the noise risk your people are actually exposed to. A noise survey can just be a plan of the site with some noise levels written on but that is not what the Noise Regs want. The Regs don't really care what noise a machine makes, they care what noise is received by people - an assessment of their personal noise risk.
But, 'noise assessment' and 'noise survey' are terms which are often used interchangeably so go with whatever you like. I do use both here as well as that is what people tend to use, but for clarity my noise assessment is the former - what noise people are exposed to, so in-line with what is needed by the Noise Regs.
-
Certifications
I am certified in workplace noise assessment by the Institute of Acoustics.
As well as that, I have the NEBOSH Diploma ensuring I have a good overall understanding of health and safety principles and how noise slots into that.
I am also a member of the British Society of Audiology and certified in undertaking workplace hearing tests.
From the Institute of Acoustics I know how to assess noise risks. From the NEBOSH Diploma I know how noise assessment fits into safety at work. From the British Society of Audiology I know the health side of it and what noise does to hearing.
Experience of noise assessments
With 30 years of experience of industrial noise surveys in everything from joinery workshops to food factories, emergency services to ships, automotive industries to ship building, and companies from 5 to 2000 employees, I have experience of delivering high quality noise assessments in all workplaces.
Experience of health and safety
As well as the noise side of things, I have spent many years on the past bothering people about health and safety as well, before specialising in noise.
Having had the frankly ludicrous job title of 'Global Director, Health And Safety' for an American company (based in the UK) and then running a health and safety consultancy of around ten people for many years, I have a good grounding of where noise safety slots into general safety, and importantly how to sensibly apply noise risk management to a wide range of industries.
Why no CMIOSH or OSHCR?
I am not on the OSHCR for the simple reason that I am not a Health and Safety Consultant. Health and Safety Consultants do asbestos, lone working, electrics, working at heights, accident investigation, workplace safety, and on and on, whereas I just do noise assessment.
Back when I did all things health and safety I was CMIOSH for years, but when the decision was taken to focus purely on noise the rest of the CMIOSH stuff became irrelevant, so it was cancelled.
Often a specialist is best. Got an asbestos issue? Ask an asbestos consultant. Got a fire safety issue? Ask a fire safety company. Got a noise issue? Ask a noise specialist.
-
When I get there all I need is someone to show me around so I know what you want measuring and get an idea of the place.
After that I am pretty much self-contained and will crack on with the noise assessment, pootling along until I have all the measurements I need. I usually use multiple noise meters at once, depending on the specific jobs I am measuring.
How long does it take?
As long as is needed is the unhelpful answer really. I will be onsite for as long as I need to get all the data to be able to give an accurate assessment of the noise risks.
Because I can use up to 15 noise meters at once I can gather data very quickly. In the old days a noise assessor would maybe use one or two meters at a time whereas the investment I have made in noise meters means what used to be one meter used for 15 hours can now be 15 meters used for an hour and gather the same amount of data.
What is critical is the job cycle on the site - if the production cycle changes over several hours then that is how long I will be there to cover it all.
-
These take a little time to do as I gather a lot of data on the day, but I also change the report slightly to match each client. I make the report fit your site, not make your site’s noise data fit my noise assessment report template.
You get a PDF report which contains:
Summary section
This is a short-n-sweet one or two pages which can be useful for circulating to people who don’t need the full magnificent opus.How I did the noise assessment
Guidance on how the data was gathered and what it means, in plain English.Individual noise results
The measurement results per noise measurement made, along with specific comments on each.Hearing protection section
How well your current hearing protection performs for the noise risk on the site, any issues seen, and some suitable alternatives calculated based on your noise levels should you wish to change in the future.Recommendations for managing noise
A section outlining what actions I recommend are taken next to manage noise in the workplace.I work on the principle of clarity rather than blinding you with figures.
A massive list of jargon-laden numbers looks nice, especially if pretty colours are used too, but it doesn't actually tell a client what is needed. My reports are written from your side of the desk - 'these are the expected exposure levels, and these are my recommendations for what to do next'.
I have undertaken noise assessments in a huge variety of workplaces.
joinery workshops ● metal fabrication ● window and door manufacturing ● recycling sites ● nightclubs ● armed forces ● logistics ● vehicle repair ● grounds maintenance teams ● foundries ● steel industries ● space industries ● NHS ● printing presses ● food industry ● agriculture ● ship’s crews, both in port and at-sea ● vehicle manufacture ● brewing ● helicopter pilots ● at-sea enforcement agencies ● fire brigades ● clothing industry ● furniture manufacture ● packaging industries ● music schools ● golf clubs ● colleges teaching welding, joinery, etc. ● laboratories
I have done noise assessments in Dover and Inverness, Cornwall and Newcastle, King’s Lynn to Cardiff and Manchester. There can’t be an industrial area of the West Midlands left where I haven’t waved noise meters around with reckless abandon.
“Thank you for all the noise safety information provided in the noise assessment and arranging it for us. Would just like to say I really appreciate all the knowledge you have shared with me as the guidance alongside the results really helped. This is a pretty new process for our site due to the recent introduction of new machinery and I have found the noise side of it very interesting. I will be sure to highly recommend your company to our sister site in England”. - H&S Manager, Irvine, Scotland
Noise Assessment FAQ
Some of the key issues which come up for both noise assessments and managing noise.
-
If an employer thinks levels may be close to 80 dB(A) then they have to get a noise assessment - they have to measure the noise levels.
That can be based on manufacturer’s data or things like a need to shout to be heard.
IF LEVELS ARE 80 TO 84 dB(A) OR 135 dB(C)
Do a noise assessment.
Employee noise safety training has to be given.
Hearing protection has to be made available.
The use of the hearing protection is optional for employees - they can choose whether to use it or not.
IF LEVELS ARE 85 dB(A) or 137 dB(C) OR OVER
Reduce the noise levels by engineering controls where reasonably possible.
Use organisational controls if possible, eg limiting exposure time by job rotation.
Hearing protection use is mandatory.
Hearing testing (audiometry) is mandatory.
-
How do you know you need to do a noise assessment without actually doing a noise assessment?
A noise assessment must be done by any employer who has noise levels which are exceeding 80dB(A) not the higher 85 dB(A) limit.
It is also recommended to have a full noise assessment if noise levels are thought to be around 78-79 dB(A) due to the natural variations each day.
L108 has some guidance (not law) that ‘if you are in any doubt, it would be best to assume that [a noise assessment is needed]’.
HOW TO IDENTIFY IF YOU NEED A NOISE ASSESSMENT
If noise is intrusive while having a conversation with people then that is an indication the levels are around 80 dB(A).
Noise data provided by the manufacturer of the equipment being used.
If someone on your site has an Apple Watch then the built-in noise meter function on that is surprisingly accurate. I have tested it myself and found it to reliably be within 1.5 to 2dB of the actual level.
A cheap Type 3 noise meter can be a big help in this part as a rough and ready indication of whether it's getting a bit loud.
Phone apps are not great to be honest.
MY ADVICE IF YOU DECIDE YOU DON’T NEED A NOISE ASSESSMENT
Document that you went through the decision-making process, covering who was involved, how it was done and when it was done. That way when the HSE come knocking you can say 'yes my Benevolent Lord of Safety, we have checked to see if we needed a noise assessment and here is how and when we did it'.
If you say you checked but have nothing documenting it then they will get a steely glint behind the monocle over their one good eye and pour forth their anger upon you.
Remember if there is no proof or record of something being done then it didn't happen. And it's always better to have done the right thing and got a result they disagree with than to be thought not to have tried at all.
-
The Noise Regulations, the actual law bit, simply say: ‘The risk assessment shall be reviewed regularly, and forthwith, if there is reason to suspect that the risk assessment is no longer valid; or there has been a significant change in the work to which the assessment relates’. That’s it for the actual law - review it when you think you need to.
The basic principle is that you should review the noise assessment when you have reason to believe things may have changed and possibly altered peoples' exposures to noise. For example, changes to a factory layout, introduction of new machinery, changes in how long machines are used, changes in shifts, etc.
A review can be a systematic check of the existing assessment looking to make sure nothing has changed; the machines are the same, the people the same, the shifts the same, etc. and if all is good, document that this review has been done and that's it, all sorted.
Even if you had the noise assessment itself done by an external consultant you can still do this review in-house - it is your business and you know if something has changed.
If nothing has changed, document that the review was done so you can prove when it took place, who was involved and what was looked at, and then you are done. This needn’t be too onerous and notes or minutes will suffice.
Do an in-house review at least annually and keep the record alongside the noise assessment.
As a recommendation for re-doing / repeating a noise assessment, for sites with a general noise risk I would recommend you re-do the assessment from scratch every three years or so. This is purely because although it may look like nothing has changed, some things inevitably will. Cutting heads may be increasingly worn and worn heads make more noise than sharp ones. Bearings may be wearing in a motor. A loose panel bolt can make a dramatic change in the noise levels. None of these will be apparent on a quick check so a policy of doing it again from scratch will act as a good fail-safe for you.
If your noise risks are particularly high or there are often changes to working practices or equipment, consider re-doing it from scratch every two years, but make that decision based on your assessment of your risks and whether you consider the noise risks to be high or not.
-
'Work' doesn't necessarily mean being paid to be there and would cover anyone who is ‘working’, so includes volunteers, interns, contractors, etc.
Remember, the dB(A) limits of 80 and 85 are averages for a day, not peaks. So if it is 88 dB(A) for 10 minutes and quiet otherwise, then you are fine.
If you are curious, the Noise Exposure Calculator on this site can show how time impacts the noise exposure level. Enter the noise level and exposure time and it will calculate the daily noise exposure for you.
dB(C) is however instantaneous - duration doesn’t matter.
80 dB(A) or 135 dB(C)
This is a raised eyebrow and a 'we may have a bit of a problem here'. (The HSE didn't use that precise wording which is their loss as it describes it perfectly).
Meeting either of these, (it doesn't have to be both), is a sign that noise levels are getting too high and certain requirements kick in.
Do a noise assessment.
Give employees training about noise including what the noise levels are.
Provide hearing protection but the employees can choose whether to use it.
Sign the areas as optional hearing protection.
85 dB(A) or 137 dB(C)
This is the biggie and again applies if the noise hits either one of them, not necessarily both.
Eliminate or reduce the noise levels by means such as engineering the noise out, or limiting exposure times.
Hearing protection is now mandatory - everyone exposed must wear it.
Use of hearing protection must be monitored and enforced. Issuing it and telling employees to wear it is not sufficient to meet the employer’s legal duties.
You need to do audiometric testing (health surveillance). This must be done in work-time and it cannot be optional, employees must attend. (Yep, the law is clear on this, employees cannot choose to opt-out).
87dB(A)
I will mention this fifth number as it is a specific limit but don't get too excited and distracted by it as it almost never applies.
87dB(A) is the absolute maximum noise level a worker may experience under the hearing protection. But, and this is not just a big 'but' but is a bloody huuuuuuge 'but', exceeding the standard 85dB(A) limit under the protection is only allowed where there is absolutely no other way of reducing the noise experienced by the worker - so where there are no options for limiting exposure time, there are no engineering options available, no more powerful hearing protection is available, etc. Only where all these are met can a worker be exposed up to 87dB(A) under the protection.
In reality there are very very few instances where this fifth limit is applied. Put it this way, in my 30-odd years working on noise issues including hundreds of different workplaces, I've never come across a situation which met the criteria where the noise was so high there was no way to get the noise exposure under the protection back down to a safe level.
-
Despite the similar-sounding terminology, there is a difference between a ‘noise assessment’, a ‘noise risk assessment’ and a 'noise survey'.
Most people use 'noise survey' and 'noise assessment’ interchangeably which is fine so that's what I tend to do as well. No point being too nerdy about it!
A good noise assessment forms part of a wider noise risk assessment.
A noise consultant such as myself can do the noise assessment for you but only the employer can do the noise risk assessment. But don’t worry, it’s not very onerous and doing a noise risk assessment is more a case of pulling together disparate activities which are likely already in place.
Noise survey / noise maps
Noise surveys are generally a plan of the site with noise levels marked on. Noise surveys are not really relevant to what is required by the Noise Reg as the HSE's Regs don't actually care much about the noise a machine makes, they care about the noise a person receives which can be very different. E.g. nobody may ever be near a noisy machine when it is running, or a person's exposure may be a combination of machines.
Noise assessment
A noise assessment is the job of measuring the noise levels, determining average exposure levels to find out what people actually receive, and providing advice on who needs to wear hearing protection, suitability of hearing protection, who needs training and some possible engineering or organisational controls.
That averaging is important - if a machine's cycle has a brief spike at 88 dB(A) but generally runs at 79 dB(A) then the average exposure will be at the 79 end of the scale.
The noise assessment is the bit I do for clients, and do very well if I say so myself.
Noise risk assessment
To meet their obligations, companies need to take what I have given you as the noise assessment and then do a noise risk assessment but that is actually pretty simple - the noise assessment is the bulk of the risk assessment work done.
Noise risk assessments pull in the noise assessment but also noise training records, health surveillance (hearing testing) results, PPE records, etc. It is more a case of referencing it all than doing an entire risk assessment as you would for CoSHH.
The noise risk assessment can be a single document referencing all the other things like training records, hearing testing programme records, noise reduction records, hearing protection in use, etc. You can have one simple document giving an overview of all these others, keeping an eye on things like retest dates or actions needed, and you don’t need to rewrite everything.
-
A noise risk assessment can be very simple and is often a short document linking together various other documents and information sources within the organisation.
An example noise assessment template can be downloaded here.
-
This is quite a new area but is one employers should start getting in front of. From talking to clients I’ve had feedback that some HSE Inspectors are starting to ask companies if they have looked into this, so as always with the HSE it is better to be able to answer ‘yes, Almighty God Of Safety, we have indeed’ rather than look blank and feed their wrath.
Ototoxic means ‘poisonous to ears’ and chemicals which act in this way have various impacts:
At their simplest they can directly damage hearing or cause tinnitus.
Slightly more weirdly, some chemicals don’t damage hearing directly but can make the ear more susceptible to damage from excess noise.
They can mean that someone who would otherwise be absolutely fine at say 85 dB(A) instead has their hearing damaged,
At the moment there are no exposure limits for them but companies should identify what they do have via their CoSHH assessments. There is more information on ototoxicity, what employers should do and a list of chemical products to watch out for in all my noise assessment reports.
-
Yes. The limit of 85 dB(A) means that above this other requirements then apply, but it doesn't mean the job cannot be done.