NOISE ASSESSMENT AT WORK
Advice on managing noise risks
Noise assessment vs noise risk assessment
The difference between a noise assessment and noise risk assessment
Includes a free noise risk assessment template to download
“Thank you for the report. Very comprehensive with good, easy to understand information for us to make improvements
and changes where necessary”. QHSE Manager, Hull, 2022
Some of the terminology around noise can be all a bit nonsensical to non-noise nerds, and even though things sound similar they can mean something completely different.
For example, a noise assessment is the bit about measuring exposures but a noise risk assessment includes the information from that plus more, such as audiometry results, employee-specific checks, etc.
Noise Survey
This is a measure of noise levels, usually a level per machine, and often with those then marked on a plan of the site. This is not what is needed in the Noise Regs so try and ignore ‘noise survey’. Same for ‘noise map’, that has no relevance to the legal requirements.
Noise assessment
This is measuring the average daily or weekly noise levels experienced by people at work. This can be from one machine or from a combination of machines or tasks. This is the data you need.
Noise risk assessment
This takes the noise assessment information and then, along with other sources of information, the employer makes an assessment of the risks in their workplace.
Noise assessment and noise risk assessment are similar sounding, but effectively a noise assessment is simply one part of the overall noise risk assessment. The noise assessment is something a company such as us can do for you, but a noise risk assessment is something only the employer, or at the least an embedded retained consultant, can do for you.
Noise assessment
This is the act of looking at a job and measuring the average exposures for the staff involved.
It then looks at what possibilities there are for reducing the noise exposures.
A noise assessment should:
Identify noise exposure levels.
Assess those levels against the legal limits.
It assesses the suitability of the hearing protection in place.
It makes clear which areas either do not require hearing protection, or which are advisory zones or in which areas it is mandatory.
It recommends which groups of staff require training.
It gives some advice on other means of controlling exposures, such as job rotation or engineering controls.
A noise assessment can be done either internally or externally - for example this is the service we offer.
Free noise risk assessment template
A free template for a noise risk assessment can be downloaded here.
Noise risk assessment
This sounds the same but is really a step forwards over the noise assessment itself, and looks at overall risks to employees. It is done by the employer and takes information from several sources.
The findings from the noise assessment in terms of exposures, possible reduction measures, confirmation of hearing protection, identifying zones and identifying who needs training.
Results / reports from any health screening (hearing testing) identifying if anyone is at risk.
For anyone with hearing issues, confirmation they can hear alarms, forklifts, etc. in their work areas when wearing the hearing protection, and if not, what precautions are in place.
A review of your chemicals on site to determine if any are ototoxic. You don’t need to dive into it overly zealously yet, only if feedback from any referrals is that ototoxicity may be a risk.
Records of your employee training.
All these together form your noise risk assessment. We would recommend you have a short one or two page document referencing all these and outlining your ongoing controls, such a retest dates due for hearing tests, the date the noise assessment needs reviewing, any employee-specific checks made (such as confirming people with issues can hearing alarms), etc. Keep it short.