Exposure to high noise levels for prolonged periods of time causes hearing damage. It is not just the noise level that is important, but the amount of time your employees are exposed to the noise. This can be more easily understood as the ‘noise dose’. A daily noise exposure of 80dB or above requires you to formally assess the risks and put a programme of control measures in place.
- You may have already carried out a noise risk assessment, either in-house or using an external consultant but, when did you last review it? Do you look at the differences between these reports? Are there any trends in the actions being recommended?
- Are you confident that the calculated ‘noise doses’ accurately reflect the job roles carried out in your workplace?
- Maybe you have a new risk assessment carried out every 2 years. Do you look at the differences between these reports? Are there any trends in the actions being recommended?
- Are you confident that you have good noise management processes and control measures in place on a day-to-day basis?
A new risk assessment is not always what you need, especially if you manage multiple locations or groups of employees. Whereas a strategic management review seeks to provide reassurance and/or identify if there are any gaps in the processes in place to manage the risks associated with noise. From reviewing your company policies and documented responsibilities, to the review of the provision of training, and ongoing monitoring and management. A management review helps deal with company-wide shortfalls in management rather than recommending the provision of personal protective equipment at a local level, which is so often the control measure that companies wrongly lean on for the mitigation of risk.
Noise can be easy to forget in the wider context of health and safety management because the effects of exposure to high noise are not usually noticed until many years later, and it is not usually causing an immediate risk of severe injury or death. However, the effects of hearing damage on someone’s health and quality of life can be severe. There is research that links hearing loss to other significant health issues such as dementia. Hearing damage at work is entirely preventable, so it is important that your risk assessment is valid, is reviewed regularly, and that you have a robust management system in place so that you can protect your employees and comply with the law.
If you need any help with managing noise at work, please contact us.