Occupational Noise & Vibration

Occupational Noise

Occupational noise is the amount of acoustic energy received by an employee’s auditory system when they are working in the industry. Occupational noise, or industrial noise, is often a term used in occupational safety and health, as sustained exposure can cause permanent hearing damage.

Despite being a well-known hazard, noise at work is still a risk to workers at the start of the 21st century. It is difficult to estimate how many people may be harmed by noise, but with 20 % of workers in Europe being exposed to loud noise (about 40 million workers) the human and economic cost of this hazard is very great.

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 came into force for all industry sectors in Great Britain on 6 April 2006 (except for the music and entertainment sectors where they came into force on 6 April 2008).

The Noise Regulations aim to ensure that workers’ hearing is protected from excessive noise at their place of work, which could cause them to lose their hearing and/or to suffer from tinnitus (permanent ringing in the ears).

The need to carry out a Noise Risk Assessment is now regulatory in most places of work, both industrial or commercial including;

• Factories
• Call Centres & Offices
• Night Clubs & Bars
• Train, Air & Road transport services

In conducting a risk assessment, we measure the levels of noise to which workers are exposed. We then assess whether any employees are exposed to noise at or above a lower exposure action value, an upper exposure action value, or an exposure limit value. The employee exposure to noise should then be controlled or eliminated by engineering means and noise control at the source. 

The effects of noise on hearing will depend on:

• Noise intensity or sound pressure
• Frequency or pitch of the sound
• Exposure time
• Distance from source
• Individual susceptibility
• Other factors (life-style, age, disease, genetics and so on).

Contact us today for more info!

Occupational Vibration

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (CVAWR 2005), Hand-Arm Vibration (WAV) & Whole-Body Vibration (WBV) Assessments.

Frequent and regular exposure to Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) may lead to two forms of permanent ill health known as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). Exposure to Whole-Body Vibration is associated with back pain related issues. Further information on HAV & WBV exposure and the associated risks is available from the HSE website.

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (CVAWR 2005, SI 2005 No. 1093) came into force in July 2005. CVAWR 2005 places a duty on employers who carry out work which is liable to expose employees to a risk from vibration, to carry out a suitable risk assessment of the associated risks. Additionally, the employer must ascertain if an employee is likely to be exposed to vibration at or above the following Exposure Action Value’s (EAV’s) or Exposure Limit Value’s (ELV’s).

• Hand Arm Vibration A(8) Whole Body Vibration A(8)
• Daily EAV 2.5 m/s² A(8) 0.5 m/s²A(8)
• Daily ELV 5 m/s² A(8) 1.15 m/s² A(8)

PDA is able to measure the vibration employees are exposed to and then ascertain their exposure level in accordance to CVAWR 2005 procedures. Advice and guidance can then be given on how to reduce employee’s exposure to vibration where appropriate.

This may include:

• Onsite measurements of the vibration levels emitted from hand held tools/equipment or ride-on machinery or platforms
• Calculation of daily exposure values
• Advice on the maximum time machinery/equipment or tools may be safely operated before EAV or ELV is exceeded
• Scheduling work patterns to reduce exposure to vibration
• Methods for reducing the vibration from machinery where possible