Do I need an Assessment to be undertaken?
The United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive advise that if you answer “yes” to any of the questions in the “noise hazard checklist” below, you probably have noise risks which need managing.
Noise Hazard checklist
- Do you work in a noisy industry, eg construction, demolition or road repair; woodworking; plastics processing; engineering; textile manufacture; general fabrication; forging, pressing or stamping; paper or board making; canning or bottling plant; foundries?
- Do your employees use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour each day in total?
- Are there noises due to impacts (such as hammering, drop forging, pneumatic impact tools etc), explosive sources such as cartridge-operated tools or detonators, or guns?
- Are there areas of the workplace where noise levels could interfere with warning or danger signals?
‘Listening Checks’
- Are employees exposed to noise which makes it necessary to shout to talk to someone 1 metre away, for more than about half an hour per day in total? The noise level here is probably 90 dB or more.
- Are employees exposed to noise which makes it necessary to shout to talk to someone 2 metres away, for more than about 2 hours per day in total? The noise level here is probably 85 dB or more.
- Is conversation at 2 metres possible, but noise is intrusive – comparable to a busy street, a typical vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant – for more than about six hours per day in total? The noise level here is probably 80 dB or more.
