NOISE SAFETY ARTICLES
A blog of articles and general information on all things relating to noise assessments or noise surveys at work, or managing employee noise exposure risks.
Advice and information on occupational noise assessments and general tips for managing noise safety risks at work.
Noise assessments ● Hearing protection ● Health surveillance ● Noise Training
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Best hearing protection for riding a motorbike?
Noise levels can be very high when riding a motorbike - easily in the mid-90s dB(A) which can damage hearing. Ear plugs need to be enough to remove some of the noise but not isolate you from traffic, and they need to be soft and not painful under the helmet. These are some recommendations.
How to choose the right hearing protection
A need for hearing protection is a common outcome of a noise assessment or a noise survey but how do you choose the right hearing protection for your noise risk, especially as 'strongest is best' is usually not the case.
What is health surveillance in noise assessment?
If the noise assessment identifies employees who are regularly working noise levels of over 85 dB(A) then the HSE requires a health surveillance programme to be in place - meaning ongoing hearing testing.
Over-protection - what are the issues?
Over-protection often comes from well-meaning employers buying the strongest hearing protection they can find - hearing protection with the highest SNR. They mean well but it often actually increases risk and for the employer, means more of the money they spend on hearing protection is wasted.
How often does hearing testing have to be done?
One of the key elements of a noise assessment is identifying who needs to be included in what the HSE call ‘health surveillance’, a slightly Orwellian way of saying ‘hearing testing’. It has to be repeated and this is a guide to how often.
Can disclaimers or GP letters be used to not wear hearing protection?
Often people offer to sign a disclaimer saying they accept the risk of hearing damage from not wearing protection, or they produce a letter from a doctor saying they do not have to wear it, but both are no good.
Do forklift drivers have to wear hearing protection?
There is no exemption from the need to wear hearing protection for forklift drivers. High noise will have the same impact on them as on any other person. Their hearing will still be damaged by noise.
What do the hearing test result categories mean?
Part of a noise assessment is to identify who needs to be included in a hearing testing programme, and the HSE specify the result categories to be used. This is what the categories are and what they mean.
Are medical exemptions possible from a need to wear hearing protection?
It is common to hear someone claim a medical exemption from the need to wear hearing protection at work, sometimes backed up with a note or letter from a GP, or sometimes self-claimed, but are medical exemptions from the need to wear hearing protection possible?
When to repeat a noise assessment
A noise assessment does need to be reviewed or repeated from scratch sometimes, but you don’t always have to get someone in to do it. This is guidance on when to review a noise assessment or get a new noise assessment done.
Hearing aids and hearing protection in high noise areas
One of the fairly common issues in a noise assessment concerns people who wear hearing aids but who also work in a high noise area so fall into the requirements for hearing protection to be worn.
How do you know if you need a noise assessment?
Now that is a good question, the Noise Regs require an employer to do a noise assessment if they think there is a noise risk, but how do you know you have a noise risk without doing a noise assessment…?
Noise risk assessment vs Noise assessment vs Noise Survey
Noise survey vs noise assessment vs noise risk assessment - what do they all mean, what is the difference between them and what do employers need to have in place?
Can music headphones be used at work?
Can someone use noise cancelling headphones in place of hearing protection in a high noise environment? Short answer is no, not if there is a noise risk as they are not certified as hearing protection.
What to do if someone refuses to wear hearing protection.
In a noise assessment, it is common to hear a comment along the lines of ‘we’ve given them hearing protection and told them to wear it, so what else can we do’, but that is not the end of the employer’s obligations for hearing protection.
Effectiveness of plasterboard walls in reducing noise levels
The humble plasterboard wall can be a good noise control measure and can help separate personnel from noise risks. While dense, plasterboard is not completely solid and the small gaps in the boards can give quite a good noise insulation, typically reducing levels by around 20dB.
Noise levels in an office
A common question which comes up on noise assessments is what classes a dangerous noise in an office environment, with people asking what the safe levels are for noise in offices. The issue is often more about distracting noise rather than dangerous noise.
Risks to pregnant women and unborn babies from high noise
A client recently asked me if pregnant women are OK to work in an environment with a noise level which is considered ‘high’, so over 85 dB(A), or whether the noise can cause risk to either the pregnancy or foetus. That was an interesting one so I looked into it further.
Doubling up on hearing protection
A common recommendation I have seen from Occupational Health Physicians has been ‘recommend wear double hearing protection’. What they are saying is that they recommend the person concerned wears two sets of hearing protection, usually a plug and a muff over the top, but to be honest, it is nonsense and usually has no link to the findings of the noise assessment.
Effectiveness of enclosures and curtains as a noise control method
When you do a noise assessment it is tempting to reach straight for the hearing protection but there are some steps all employers need to follow first, including containing noise to keep the noise in one area and the humble plastic strip curtain can be very effective.