Noise risk assessment vs Noise assessment vs Noise Survey
The terminology in noise assessment is obtuse enough, but it is not helped by these seemingly-interchangeable phrases which all sound the same but which are slightly different. Put as simply as possible and employer needs to do a noise risk assessment, one component of which is the noise assessment.
Noise survey
Usually this means a plan of a factory with some noise levels marked on it. While it can possibly be useful generally, it is not what is required by the Noise Regs and is not a noise assessment. A noise assessment is the noise levels, but also much more (as below).
A plan of the site may tell you how loud a machine is, but it doesn’t tell you what Bob’s daily noise exposure is if he spends a varying amount of time on three different machines.
Also, somewhat strangely, the Noise Regs don’t actually care much about a machine’s noise level if nobody is exposed to it. If you have a hypothetical machine in a room and the machine generates 100 dB(A), but nobody is in there, nobody is exposed to it, and as soon as the door is opened then the machine stops, the Regs don’t really care overly much as long as that cut-off remains in place. Nobody is exposed.
Noise assessment
This is the meaty one and a noise assessment is what the Noise Regs want to see in place and is what I provide. A noise assessment does include the same noise levels measured in the basic noise survey, but also looks at:
How long are people exposed to the noise in a day, and how often is that repeated.
What combination of exposures do they get - is it from one machine or more likely from several, changing in the day.
What hearing protection do they need and is it measured as being safe for the noise risk identified.
Who needs to be included in a health surveillance programme (hearing testing).
What signage is needed.
Who needs to be included in any noise safety training programme.
What are some potential noise risk control measures such as engineering ones to stop noise being generated or to contain it, or organisational one such as limiting the time people are exposed to the noise.
A noise nerd such as myself can provide the noise assessment for you.
Noise risk assessment
This is what the Noise Regs want as the outcome and needs to be done by the employer, but don’t panic, it is not massively onerous and the bulk of the work has been done for you in the noise assessment.
The noise risk assessment is composed of:
The noise assessment identifying noise exposure levels, hearing protection requirements, health surveillance needs, signage, etc.
The health surveillance records and key outcomes.
Training records for noise safety
PPE records, covering selection, issuing and monitoring system to check usage.
Any planned maintenance works impacting on noise safety
You do not have to rewrite a massive risk assessment! The noise risk assessment can simply be a basic document referencing the other noise safety measures in place.
This high-quality no-expense-incurred graphic summarises what a noise risk assessment is.
