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.

If a FLT (Forklift truck) driver routinely goes into a high noise area to the extent that their daily exposure is exceeding 85dB(A) then they are at risk of noise induced hearing loss. This means that over time their hearing may start to deteriorate through the effects of the exposures and they will eventually no longer be able to hear the screams of their victims as they run them over anyway, even without hearing protection.

FLT drivers should be looked at closely though as it is particularly important that they are not provided with too much protection and isolating them. What they need is a protector which is getting them down to about say 77 or 78dB under the protector so they are safe from possible hearing loss but also still able to hear what is going on around them at a decent level.

Or provide a FLT with an enclosed cab that reduces the noise to a safe level without hearing protection.

Some standard ear plugs which have reasonably low attenuation (noise reduction) are:

• E-A-R Ultrafit 14, SNR of 14 (a reusable product and around £2.50 or so)

• Alpha Sota L1 muffs, SNR of 18 (about £17)

• 3M ClearEar, Tracer 20, Ultrafit20 (all are cheap and have low SNRs of 20dB)

• Howard Leight Neutron, SNR 20 (reusable corded plug, about £1.20)

Perhaps one of the best choices though is a banded plug style which are easy to put on as they don’t require the same insertion as an ear plug, but as they are small don’t get in the way like an ear-muff. With those the Forklift driver can have them around their neck when in lower noise areas, and easily put them on when needed but they don’t dig into the chin when round the neck and limit movement. Some styles are:

• E-A-R Caps banded plugs

• E-A-R Flex 20

• NoiseBETA Foam Earpods Band

• Ultimate Industrial UC-EP07B Earbands

• Arco Banded Earplugs

• Beeswift B-Brand Banded Ear Plug

• Moldex Pura-Band

One exception which may apply

The Noise Regs say that hearing protection is needed by those who have a noise exposure which is routinely exceeding 85dB(A). The Regs also then say that areas where this happens should be marked with the blue and white signs as mandatory hearing protection zones. That is actually rather contradictory as one is saying it is time-based while the other is saying it is location-based and this could come into play with our FLT driver.

Assume you have an area where employees are routinely exposed to 88dB(A) so it is signed as a mandatory hearing protection area. Your FLT driver meanwhile largely works in the very quiet stores area and only occasionally goes into the higher noise level work area, maybe for up to an hour a day in total. In this case, the FLT driver's noise exposure will not come close to the 85dB(A) limit so technically, according to the Regs hearing protection is not needed, even though another part of the Regs say the zone must be signed as a mandatory hearing protection area for anyone in there. If you could guarantee that the FLT driver never spends long enough in the high noise area to breach the 85dB(A) limit then there is an argument that hearing protection is not needed, but this is based on noise exposure duration rather than a blanket exemption due to the fact they are a FLT driver and would apply equally to a pedestrian as it would a FLT driver. This could be covered in the noise risk assessment for you but if in doubt as to the duration of any possible FLT driver noise exposures, stick to the principle of hearing protection being needed in all areas zoned as having high noise levels.

L108 and talk of exemptions from hearing protection

L108, the HSE’s bible on noise safety, does contain a provision that exemptions may be granted by the HSE for specific individuals because the use of hearing protection introduces a larger risk. There are some important stipulations here though.

This exemption can only be granted by the HSE themselves, companies do not have the authority to do it. To do so is very naughty.

Any exemption has to be in writing, for specific jobs, and is time-limited. i.e. it expires.

It will only be granted where the risk caused by hearing protection is large, such as working on busy public roads. It is not something which can be used for FLT drivers as the risk can easily be controlled via proper suitable hearing protection which ‘takes the top off’ the noise but doesn’t isolate the driver. As there is a suitable control route, exemptions aren’t granted to all FLT drivers.

What about someone who says hearing protection is disorienting?

This is sometimes given as a response when a driver is told they need to wear hearing protection but the outcome may not be what they desire.

If they genuinely find hearing protection is disorienting when worn, but they do drive the forklift into a high noise area and have a noise exposure over 85 dB(A) then the fact they find hearing protection disorienting doesn’t remove the obligation for it to be worn. The only outcome in this situation for the employer is to remove that person from the noise risk as the obligation to protect them is paramount. If that means no job then that is the only route an employer can take.

Remember: GPs do not have the authority to say someone can work in a high noise area without protection, so even if a forklift driver gets a letter from a GP saying that, then it is still not an exemption. What it means is the GP has effectively certified them as unable to do the job.