Noise at Work Assessment and Hearing Protection
Noise at Work in Brief
- Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 with lower (80dB), upper (85dB) and limit (87dB) values
- Noise assessment by a competent person
- Hearing protection zones and health surveillance for high exposure
Noise at Work
Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common occupational diseases in the UK. The damage is cumulative, irreversible, and often goes unnoticed until conversations become difficult. Tinnitus - a persistent ringing or buzzing - is another consequence that can be severely disabling.
Any workplace with machinery, tools, vehicles, or loud environments needs to take noise seriously. That includes manufacturing, construction, engineering, warehousing, agriculture, printing, food processing, entertainment venues, and many others.
What Noise Law Requires
In the UK, the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 set out three key levels of exposure, measured as a daily or weekly personal noise exposure (L EX,8h) and as peak sound pressure:
- Lower exposure action value - 80 dB(A) daily or weekly exposure, or 135 dB(C) peak. Employers must provide information, training and hearing protection on request.
- Upper exposure action value - 85 dB(A) daily or weekly exposure, or 137 dB(C) peak. Employers must reduce exposure through engineering and organisational controls, establish hearing protection zones, and make sure hearing protection is worn.
- Exposure limit value - 87 dB(A) daily or weekly exposure, or 140 dB(C) peak. This is the absolute limit and takes account of hearing protection. It must not be exceeded.
Health surveillance is required where workers are regularly exposed above the upper action value, or where they are exposed above the lower value and a risk assessment identifies specific sensitivity.
Assessing Noise Exposure
A noise assessment is task- and worker-based, not just a single room reading. The key elements:
- Who is exposed - the workers who actually do the job, not just the loudest area.
- What the noise sources are - machines, tools, processes, vehicles, ambient noise from nearby work.
- How long exposure lasts - duration matters as much as level. A short blast at 100 dB(A) and a long shift at 85 dB(A) can produce similar daily exposure.
- Peak sound pressures - impulsive noises from hammering, drop-forging, cartridge tools and similar processes need their own assessment against the peak criteria.
Measurements usually need a competent person using a calibrated sound level meter or noise dosimeter. Manufacturers' data on equipment noise levels is a starting point but typically underestimates real workplace exposure.
Controlling Noise at Work
Controls follow the hierarchy of control. The duty is to reduce exposure to the lowest level reasonably practicable, not just to get below the limit.
- Eliminate - can the noisy process be removed or carried out differently?
- Substitute - quieter equipment, lower-speed operation, different materials (damping, plastic rollers instead of metal).
- Engineering controls - enclosures, silencers, damping, isolation of the source, absorbing surfaces in the workplace.
- Organisational controls - job rotation to reduce individual exposure, limiting time in noisy areas, separating noisy processes from quieter work.
- Hearing protection - earplugs or earmuffs. Hearing protection is the last resort, not the first. It only works if worn correctly for the full duration of exposure.
Hearing protection zones must be clearly signed and enforced above the upper action value. The right protection depends on the noise frequency, the need to hear warnings or communicate, compatibility with other PPE, and worker acceptance.
Health Surveillance for Noise
Where health surveillance is required, it means audiometric testing - a hearing test that identifies changes in hearing over time. A baseline test is carried out within the first year of exposure, then annually for the first two years, then at three-yearly intervals for workers remaining in noisy work (or more often if a test shows a concerning change).
Records are kept for as long as the worker is exposed, and workers must be told their results. If a test shows hearing damage, the assessment and controls must be reviewed and the worker may need to move to a different role.
The mistake I see most often is treating noise as a one-off. An assessment done five years ago when the factory laid out its line is not valid for today's production mix - faster running, new equipment, different materials. Noise exposure changes whenever the work changes, and the assessment needs to track it.
The other big one is hearing protection that no one is wearing properly. Earmuffs pushed up on top of the head. Earplugs rolled and stuffed in the pocket for "later". Disposable plugs reused for weeks. A protection programme that looks compliant on paper but has nobody actually protected. Walk the floor regularly and ask people - or better, watch quietly and see what is actually happening.
And a warning on over-protection. SNR values that are too high can cut workers off from warnings, vehicle reversing alarms, and conversation - which itself creates risk. Match the protection to the exposure, not just the biggest number you can find.
We had a stamping press running at about 92 dB(A) for the operators. First round of controls - enclosure panels and a vibration isolator on the bed - took it down to 84 dB(A). That put it below the upper action value and meant we could stop mandating hearing protection in that zone. Operators far happier, communication easier, and our audiometric results stopped drifting.
One thing we learned the hard way - when buying new equipment, ask for the noise declaration before you sign. Retrofitting noise controls after installation costs far more than specifying quieter equipment up front.
Noise assessments are where I check the evidence trail most carefully. I want to see the measurements, the assumptions behind them, and when they were last reviewed. I want to see hearing protection selection based on actual noise spectra, not just one-size-fits-all earplugs. And for any workplace above the upper action value, I want to see audiometric surveillance records showing the programme is active and the results are being acted on.
A clean noise survey from three years ago, hung on the wall, with no corresponding review or updated measurements, is a common finding. It raises questions about how seriously the controls are being managed day to day.
Practical Compliance Guidance
Section 7 of the IMS1 Manual covers the operational H&S management requirements including control of noise at work. It frames noise as part of the wider hazard management system, linked to risk assessment, training, PPE and health surveillance.
The alphaZ documents below give you the policy, procedural guidance, risk assessment and training material needed to run a compliant noise at work programme.
| alphaZ document | How to use it |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 14001 45001 IMS Toolkit | The full integrated toolkit for ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001. Contains the procedural documents, forms and guidance needed to set up and run a compliant management system including noise at work arrangements. |
| P78 Noise at Work Policy | Sets out the organisation's commitment to managing noise exposure. Issue to workers as part of the wider H&S policy set. |
| PP-7-15 Noise at Work Policy Procedure | The policy-procedure document covering noise assessment, controls, PPE and health surveillance. Use as the written procedure for the management system. |
| PP-7-100 Health and Safety Policy Procedure | A single integrated H&S policy-procedure covering noise alongside PPE, COSHH, manual handling and the other core H&S topics. Use as an alternative if you prefer one umbrella H&S procedure over separate topic-specific ones. |
| GG-7-15 Noise Awareness Guidance | Plain-English guidance for line managers and workers. Covers what noise exposure means, how to recognise it, and how to follow the controls. Issue alongside training. |
| RA-HS49 Noise at Work Risk Assessment | The risk assessment covering noise exposure across the organisation. Tailor to your own tasks and environments and review when the work changes. |
| TT-7-15 Noise Awareness Toolbox Talk | Briefing material for team meetings. Covers the key noise points for workers and provides evidence of awareness training when signed. |
Note - all the above files can be downloaded with an alphaZ subscription.
Frequently Asked Questions
UK Legislation
The following UK legislation is directly relevant to noise at work. Organisations outside the UK should identify the equivalent legislation applicable in their jurisdiction.
- Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
- Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992
