Noise at Work
Let us help ensure your staff’s hearing and health is protected
Hearing protection is the last line of defence when it comes to worker’s hearing and health in the workplace. If it is not implemented properly, it can become a danger to hearing and employee’s health and wellbeing, as exposure to noise can increase both in terms of duration and levels of noise at the ear.
The HSE have been tackling poor noise at work management and assessment over the last few years, and rightly so, as demonstrated by some of their recent key findings:
- 75% of employees lacked knowledge about storing, checking or reporting faults with hearing protection
- 63% had not received guidance on continuous wearing during noise exposure
- 80% received no instruction on proper wearing techniques
- 95% of employers failed to verify workers could still hear vital warning signals
If a workplace is relying on hearing protection to ensure HSE Noise at Work Regulations are achieved in a work setting, site management’s responsibility does not stop at undertaking a risk assessment and noise survey.
For example, thorough measurement and assessment of noise levels generated within the site are imperative, alongside proper training for staff detailing how to wear, use, and store hearing protection so its performance is effective. In addition to this, hearing health checks are an important element in assessing exposure to workplace noise over years of employment.
The BBC have recently reported on claims brought by ex-service people, and retired industry workers who were failed by their employers when it came to providing effective hearing protection, or any protection at all, respectively:
Hearing loss, deafness, or tinnitus, can be life changing for people. All of which can lead on to other life impacting illnesses along with financial/salary changes through loss of work.
Acoustic Consultants Limited can provide risk assessment, site surveying, and full noise at work assessments to assist employers and ensure their employee’s hearing health is upheld.
We can specify hearing protection performances across your site for differing work areas/employee uses, along with assistance in terms of HSE’s guidance on “Buy Quiet”.
The latter here, is a push towards employers and management considering the procurement of machines and tools in the workplace in terms of their noise emission at an early stage. An assessment of how proposed machines could impact the noise levels and exposure within a workplace could be carried out early in the procurement process. By appointing Acoustic Consultants Limited at an early stage such as this, could provide a cost-effective long-term solution to reduce the noise at work implications within your site.
Our noise at work assessments have covered numerous types of sites, from food processing and manufacturing, glass window manufacturing, communication suites, and extreme noise generating areas of Police Firearms Training Departments.
We can provide Class 1 sound level meters to undertake all site work, along with high-pressure microphones for the rarer weapons (and other high noise level) assessments.
Please see our Noise at Work Services page, here, for more information.
Feel free to call to discuss your needs and any tight deadlines you may find yourself in on 0117 986 2956.
Or if you prefer, please email: mail@acoustic-ltd.co.uk