Noise at work regulations 2005 mean that employees have duties too

We know that with rights there are always responsibilities, which is as it should be. This applies to the workforce as well to individuals and since there are rules and regulations which employers must follow, there are also rules and regulations which employees must follow too. The noise at work regulations 2005, or the control of noise at work regulation 2005, is there to help protect employees. However it is important to remember that the control of noise at work regulations 2005 also mean that employees have duties too. 

Control of noise at work may not seem to be a big deal for many people but you would think differently if you were one of the poor people who have to spend eight hours in a factory where it is so loud that you cannot even hear yourself think, never mind carry on a conversation! This is the situation for many people but the good news is that there are now laws and regulations in place which are there to help employees and to prevent things getting out of hand and noise levels to cause health problems such as hearing loss. 

What do the regulations require you to do?

The control of noise at work regulations 2005 (noise regulations 2005) requires employers to prevent or reduce risks to health and safety from exposure to noise at work. Employees have duties under the regulations too. The regulations require you as an employer to:

·         Assess the risks to your employees from noise at work;

·         Take action to reduce the noise exposure that produces those risks;

·         Provide your employees with hearing protection if you cannot reduce the noise exposure enough by using other methods;

·         Make sure the legal limits on noise exposure are not exceeded;

·         Provide your employees with information, instruction and training;

·         Carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to health.

The Regulations do not apply to:

·         Members of the public exposed to noise from their non-work activities, or making an informed choice to go to noisy places;

·         Low-level noise that is a nuisance but causes no risk of hearing damage.

Workers or others at the workplace should be:

·         Supplied with personal hearing protectors of correct rating and suitable for the work conditions

·         Instructed in their correct use

·         Instructed to wear them when exposed to noise

·         Monitored to ensure they wear hearing protection.

Personal hearing protectors should not be used as a substitute for engineering or administrative noise control measures. Areas where people may be exposed to excessive noise should be signposted as 'hearing protection areas' at every entry point to the areas. The boundaries of these areas should be clearly defined.

No person, including visitors, managers or supervisors, should enter a hearing protection area during normal operation unless they wear appropriate personal hearing protectors, regardless of how long the person spends in the hearing protection area. These are all things which will help to avoid unpleasant incidents in the workplace and this is the main purpose of the control of noise at work regulations 2005.