Free noise risk assessment template
A noise assessment is part of a noise risk assessment - sounds the same but not quite, but a noise risk assessment is not an onerous task.
The noise assessment identifies what the noise risk is, the noise risk assessment says what you are actually going to do about it.
The noise risk assessment is the final outcome that employers are expected to have in place under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.
The free template below was drawn up by me, a specialist workplace noise assessor, with over 30 years of experience in noise safety at work, IoA certification, NEBOSH Diploma and Institute of Audiology member.
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require an employer to have a noise risk assessment in place and a noise assessment forms part of that.
Key points of noise risk assessment templates
A noise assessment is the process of measuring the risk and identifying the issues.
A noise risk assessment is what you are actually going to do about it.
The noise assessment can be done by a noise consultant for you but the noise risk assessment needs to be done in-house as it specifies what you are actually going to do and when, so your internal procedures, who is responsible, when actions will be taken.
A noise risk assessment is not a complex document, most of the work is already done in the noise assessment.
The free template below walks you through the noise risk assessment, just add your own circumstances such as who is responsible for what and when actions are planned. There is also an example completed noise risk assessment.
A noise risk assessment is needed by every employer who has employees working in average noise levels of 80 dB(A) or 135 dB(C) and above.
This page may also be of use, detailing the differences between a noise survey, a noise assessment and a noise risk assessment.
When to review your noise risk assessment
The HSE require it to be a ‘live’ document and is something which should be reviewed regularly. In L108 Controlling Noise at Work, this is given as when you have reason to believe the noise risk assessment is no longer valid and that irrespective of this, it should be reviewed at least every two years.
Above is what the actual Noise Regs say about this, and to the right is the HSE’s additional guidance statement on it.
Both are taken from L108.
Contents of a noise risk assessment
The noise risk assessment includes information on:
The noise exposure levels faced at work by employees.
References the separate noise assessment report identifying noise exposure levels, hearing protection requirements, health surveillance needs, signage, etc. This is the noise assessment report I provide.Plans to be investigated or implemented for reducing noise exposures
What you are planning on doing in the future to look at possible noise reduction measures. Document what you are planning to look at - you are saying you will consider it, not that you will definitely do it. If you decide something is not practicable then that’s fine, but record that you looked at it. That way you have an ongoing record of noise risk management.Details health surveillance needs, how it is managed and key outcomes.
References the health surveillance records and key outcomes. Your noise risk assessment will say what is in place to manage this, who manages it, when is it next due. Importantly, this also where you may identify if you have people who are especially at risk because of other issues such as already-poor hearing. Your health surveillance provider should advise who this applies to.Noise safety training systems
Training records for noise safety. When was it done, when is it next due, who is responsible for it, how do you cover new starters.How you will select, implement, manage and monitor hearing protection
Referencing your PPE records, covering selection, issuing and monitoring system to check usage and what steps you have in place to ensure that hearing protection remains suitable for use.Other key elements such as
Any planned maintenance works impacting on noise safety.
Whether you have reviewed products on site to check for ototoxicity.
How contractors working on site are managed for noise risks introduced to your personnel.
Whether you operate a formal ‘Buy Quiet’ policy as part of your purchasing system.
Keep the actual noise risk assessment simple
This sounds like a lot to cover but I cannot stress this enough - a noise risk assessment is very simple, please do not over-complicate it.
The vast bulk of the work is two documents, the noise assessment I provide and your health screening records. You do not have to rewrite a massive risk assessment or rewrite the data. The noise risk assessment can simply be a basic document referencing those other noise safety measures in place. It is basically a very simple management tool saying ‘we have X in place, it will be redone on X date’.
A noise risk assessment is not very complex and is basically some admin, creating one document which references all the various bits of noise safety such as the noise assessment’s findings, noise training, hearing testing, PPE, etc., and pulls it all into one document. Your noise assessment and health surveillance records (if you do it) forms the vast bulk of the work.
Download the noise risk assessment template
You can download a free Word format noise risk assessment template here.
Link: Download noise risk assessment template
Clicking the link should save a copy in your downloads folder.
A noise risk assessment really is not that complex and basically just references everything else which is in place for noise safety. It doesn’t take long and is effectively a central management point for noise safety.
Example completed noise risk assessment
This is a completed example to show you the type of information needed and the level of detail to enter. Hopefully it can steer you in the right direction and demonstrate that it doesn’t need to be overly complex.
FAQ: Noise risk assessment and noise risk assessment template
You have a free template for a noise risk assessment, do you have a template for the initial noise assessment part?
No. The reason is that no two sites are the same so the way noise data is gathered and recorded in one may be very different to another. What is important is getting the data, how it looks doesn’t matter as the outcome is the final noise risk assessment, for which there is a template.
Do I need to enter the noise exposure levels in the noise risk assessment?
No. It is perfectly fine to say ‘the noise exposures are as detailed in the noise assessment report dated…’. You don’t have to rewrite it as there is no benefit to anyone in that. You already have the noise levels so rewriting it again provides no purpose.
What does the law want, a noise assessment / noise survey or a noise risk assessment?
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require an employer with an identified noise risk to have a noise risk assessment, that is the final outcome needed. But, to have the noise risk assessment you need a noise assessment, you can’t have the final risk assessment without it.
Can’t you as a noise consultant do the noise risk assessment for us?
Technically yes, but as the noise risk assessment is detailing all the internal personnel and procedures in place for managing noise I would just be bombarding you with questions to then write down what you yourselves already know and have decided.
The client has to decide what actions will be taken following the noise assessment I (and others) provide, no external consultant can decide that for you unless they are the type who are embedded deeply into your site and acting almost as a part-time health and safety specialist employee. Paying someone external to write down what you yourselves have decided to do is a waste of money. Use the free noise risk assessment template and enter the information there.
Other advice and guidance on managing noise risks at work
