Know your listening rights
Work noise levels vary greatly. The following graph shows average noise levels for different types of workplace:
If noise levels reach an Action Level threshold, employers have a specific duty to act to protect their employees’ hearing, as follows.
If daily noise levels reach an average of 80 dBA (decibels)
If daily noise levels reach an average of 80 dBA (decibels) your employer must:
- Tell you about the risks, and explain how you can protect your ears.
- Provide ear protectors – otherwise known as ‘ear defenders’ – for you to use and keep them in good working order.
- Make every effort to reduce noise levels as far as possible, by modifying or replacing equipment and maintaining it regularly. Noisy machinery may need to be enclosed so that the sound is muffled.
If daily noise levels reach an average of 85 dBA (decibels)
If you must work somewhere with daily noise levels at or above 85 dBA the law makes the wearing of ear protectors compulsory. So, in addition to the actions listed above, your employer must make sure that you wear them - if they don’t, they can be taken to court.
Average daily or weekly exposure levels, after taking into account any hearing protection, should never be above 87 dBA and sound levels must never peak above 140 dBA at someone’s ear. Your employer must also clearly mark ear protection zones – areas where you must wear ear protection.
However, the regulations also require employers to ensure noise levels are minimised before resorting to ear protection, such as installing sound reduction equipment and taking noise levels into account when ordering new machinery.
When it is suspected that noise in the workplace is a problem, a risk assessment needs to be carried out to estimate employees’ exposure and work out what needs to be done to comply with the law. The employer must ensure that this is drawn up by someone who is competent to carry out the task and is based on advice and information from people who are competent to provide it.
All industry sectors in Great Britain are covered by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 including the music and entertainment sectors where they came into force on 6 April 2008. For more information, visit the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) website.
How can hearing loss at work be prevented?
Despite the regulations outlining employers’ specific responsibilities, it is also the responsibility of all workers to ensure that they take necessary precautions to protect their hearing from noise-induced hearing loss:
- Advise your employer to undergo a full noise assessment – contact the HSE for more information
- Be aware of what noises can be damaging to your hearing, and wear ear protection around them
- Use your ear protection in all designated areas - there will be signs to show you
- Make sure you fully understand how to use and care for your ear protection
- Tell your employer if there is a fault with either your own ear protection or the noise control equipment
- Suggest to your employer ways of further reducing noise levels in the workplace
Remember: Do not remove ear protection in an Ear Protection Zone even for short periods. Removing protectors in an environment with 107 dBA for just one minute would give a noise dose equal to the recommended level of 80 dBA for 8 hours.
