The HSE estimates that more than 2 million people in Great Britain are exposed to unacceptable levels of noise at work, and the industries that this is most likely to apply in are well-known. They include:
This white paper outlines:
This list though is not exhaustive and there are many other jobs that can involve exposure to potentially damaging noise levels, such as music teaching, fitness instruction, data centre technicians, and building services engineers. When noise exposure at work is variable on a day-by-day basis, or work is carried out on a freelance basis, it can be easy to overlook the risks.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss is a serious occupational disease that is permanent and disabling. Damage is usually caused gradually, often over many years, which can make it harder to notice the impact until it is having a significant effect on someone’s quality of life.
Difficulty in hearing can have other health consequences too, including poor mental health, and a link with dementia. Tinnitus can also result from high noise exposure, which is a constant ringing, buzzing or humming type sound in the ears. This can cause issues with sleep and can also lead to poor mental health.
The ideal solution would be to eliminate the noise completely, for example by changing the way a task is carried out. However, in all likelihood this will not be possible, so a programme of technical and organisational measures to reduce employee noise exposure should be implemented.
Implementing a programme of technical and organisational controls is specifically required by law under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, which require employers to take reasonably practicable action to reduce the risks.
The regulations define the greatest risk as being when there is a daily noise exposure at or above the upper exposure action value of 85dB. This is an 8-hour time-weighted average, often referred to as a ‘noise dose’, which means that it is the combination of the noise level and the amount of time exposed to that noise which creates the risk. For example, if your employees carry out a generator test at a noise level of 110dB for 3 minutes, their personal daily noise exposure for that task alone would be 88dB, which is above the upper exposure action value.
There is also a single upper exposure action value of 137dB for peak C-weighted sound pressure level, this is not based on exposure time and is more likely to occur with very loud impact sounds, or in very loud industries such as in aviation and the military. It could also be encountered with some musical instruments too, such as drums.
The risk of hearing damage can also be mitigated by providing hearing protection, and it is mandatory when personal daily exposure is 85dB or above. However, the regulations state that it is not sufficient to rely on hearing protection alone. A recent 2025 campaign by the HSE found that in the high noise workplaces they visited:
This highlights one of the main reasons why hearing protection should be a last resort or interim measure and should not be relied on as a single control measure; human factors make it too easy to not achieve the required level of protection to prevent hearing damage.
As well as the programme of technical and organisational controls, and mandatory hearing protection, one of the requirements of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 is to carry out health surveillance in the form of regular hearing tests. Although a requirement of the regulations, hearing tests will not reduce the risk in itself but will help you to understand whether your control measures are working to reduce the risk. If the health surveillance highlights that hearing loss is occurring amongst your employees it is too late to reverse the damage that has already been caused, but you must take action to prevent further damage.
It is important that research is carried out when selecting a health surveillance provider so that you can be confident, they are competent to carry out the testing and interpret the results. Common failings include carrying out the testing in a noisy environment, instead of in a sound-proof booth. There is also some evidence that using a method called Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) testing can detect changes in hearing earlier than the traditional pure tone audiometry testing.
In April 2026, the HSE announced a consultation on RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013). Noise-Induced Hearing Loss is one of the new proposed occupational diseases to be added to the list. Whether it gets added to the RIDDOR list or not, hopefully there will be a much greater awareness among employers about the seriousness of this disease and the legal requirements to take action to prevent it.
Understanding what you need to do to prevent employee hearing damage and to comply with the Regulations starts with carrying out a risk assessment. There are some simple tests you can use to understand whether your employees might be at risk, such as considering whether the noise intrusive - like a busy street, or a crowded restaurant - for most of the working day? Or whether you have to raise your voice to have a normal conversation when about 2m apart for at least part of the day. These are both indicators that the employees could be exposed to noise at or above the lower exposure action value (noise dose) of 80dB. This is the trigger level for requiring a formal noise risk assessment and complying with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations.
It is important to engage with a competent external specialist if you do not have the expertise in-house to fully assess the risks. It is also useful to look at industry guidance and trade body information, as well as using sources provided by the HSE.
One of the groups of employees mentioned earlier in this white paper as one that may be easy to overlook is music teachers, and the HSE has published an excellent in-depth document, called Sound Advice – Control of Noise at Work in Music and Entertainment, on how to comply with the Regulations in the music industry, which includes a chapter on music education. A single drum lesson, or orchestra rehearsal, could put the teacher above the upper exposure action value, so measures such as time-tabling louder instruments to the biggest rooms, using technology such as electronic drum kits and practice pads, and considering the orchestra layout could make a significant impact on the risk. Reducing the noise level by 3dB does not sound much - and will only just be perceived as a small reduction when we hear it - but it is a halving of the sound energy causing damage to our ears so it can still make a significant impact on reducing the risk.
What does the management of noise currently look like in your workplace? If you don’t know, getting some help is very sound advice.
Noise-induced hearing loss - HSE
Alzheimer’s Society
Practice Guidance Clinical Application of Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs) in Children and Adults - British Society of Audiology
HSE Press release - Serious gaps found in protecting workers from excessive noise
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