Health And Safety

Measuring Assessment reports For

EETTEC

An introduction to noise at work

Every day, millions of employees in Europe are exposed to noise at work and all the risks this can
entail. While noise is most obviously a problem in industries such as manufacturing and construction,
it can also be an issue in a wide range of other working environments, from call centres to schools,
orchestra pits to
bars.

What is noise?

Noise is unwanted sound. The word "noise" is derived from the Latin word
"nausea," meaning seasickness.

Noise that is experienced by people who did not produce it is called second
hand-noise. Like second-hand smoke, second-hand noise can have negative
impacts on people without their consent.

Noise is unwanted sound and is among the most pervasive pollutants today. Noise from road
traffic, jet planes, jet skis, garbage trucks, construction equipment, manufacturing processes,
lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and boom boxes, to name a few, are among the unwanted sounds
that are routinely broadcast into the air.

The problem with noise is not only that it is unwanted, but also that it negatively affects
human health and well-being. Problems related to noise include hearing loss, stress, high
blood pressure, sleep loss, distraction and lost productivity, and a general reduction in the
quality of life and opportunities for tranquillity.

We experience noise in a number of ways. On some occasions, we can be both the cause and
the victim of noise, such as when we are operating noisy appliances or equipment. There are
also instances when we experience noise generated by others just as people experience
second-hand smoke. While in both instances, noises are equally damaging, second-hand noise
is more troubling because it has negative impacts on us but is put into the environment by
others, without our consent.

The air into which second-hand noise is emitted and on which it travels is a "commons," a
public good. It belongs to no one person or group, but to everyone. People, businesses, and
organizations, therefore, do not have unlimited rights to broadcast noise as they please, as if
the effects of noise were limited only to their private property. On the contrary, they have an

1
obligation to use the commons in ways that are compatible with or do not detract from other
uses.

People, businesses, and organizations that disregard the obligation to not interfere with
others' use and enjoyment of the commons by producing noise pollution are, in many ways,
acting like a bully in a school yard. Although perhaps unknowingly, they nevertheless
disregard the rights of others and claim for themselves rights that are not theirs

Also we can describe the noise more details in below these some words to more help and

Noise is an unwanted sound; its intensity (‘loudness’) is measuredin decibels (dB). The decibel scale is
logarithmic, so a three decibelincrease in the sound level already represents a doubling ofthe noise intensity. For
example, a normal conversation may be
about 65 dB and someone shouting typically can be around80 dB. The difference is only 15 dB but the shouting
is 30 times asintensive.
To take into account the fact that the human ear hasdifferent sensitivities to different frequencies, the
strength or intensityof noise is usually measured in A-weighted decibels
(dB(A)).
It is not just the intensity that determines whether noise is hazardous.The duration of exposure is also very
important. To take
this into account, time-weighted average sound levels are used.For workplace noise, this is usually based on an
eight-hour working
day.

Report
Do we have at noise problem at work?

This will tell us how a loud the noise is and how long people are exposed to it

we need to do something about the noise if any of the following apply

1)Is the noise intrusive like a busy street a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant for most of the
working day?

2)do your employees have to raise their voices to carry out a normal conversation when about tow
mi apart for at least part of day?

3)Do you work in a noisy eg construction demolition or road repair, woodworking ,plastic , pressing ,
engineering textile manufacturing board making ,canning or bottling , foundries.

Noise can also be a safety hazard at work, interfering with communication and making warning
harder to hear. In this assignment you should tell your director to solve nosie problems with help of
HSE organization because if we need any type of noise problems then HSE easily helps us to solve
our those nose problems which we face during our work in different places.

What problems can noise cause?

Exposure to noise may pose a variety of health and safety risks to workers.

Hearing loss: Excessive noise damages the hair cells in the cochlea, part of the inner ear, leading to loss of
hearing. ‘In many countries, noise-induced hearing loss is the most prevalent

2
irreversible industrial disease.’ (3) It is estimated that the number of people in Europe with hearing difficulties is
more
than the population of France (4).
Physiological effects: There is evidence that exposure to
noise has an effect on the cardiovascular system resulting in
the release of catecholamines and an increase in blood pressure.
Levels of catecholamines in blood (including epinephrine
(adrenaline)) are associated with stress.

The control of noise at work regulation 2005

.1. Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 the employer has a
duty to prevent or reduce risks to health from exposure to noise at work, assess the
risks to staff from noise at work, provide hearing protection where you cannot reduce
the risk and make sure the noise limits are not exceeded.

2. Procedure

3.1. How do managers determine if staff are exposed to noise which may
affect their health? If it is necessary for staff to shout to talk to someone 1m
away for more than about half an hour a day, the noise level is probably
above 90db(a). Is it necessary for staff to shout to talk to someone 2m away if
they do the noise level is probably above 85db(a).

3.2. Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 the employer has a
duty to ensure that staff are not exposed above the following levels:

3.2.1. The first action level is 80db(a) with a peak level of 135db(a).

3.2.2. The second action level is 85db(a) and a peak of 137db(a).

3.2.3. There are also limits, which must not be exceeded of 87db(a) daily
or weekly exposure and a peak of 140db(a).

3.3. Where the exposure of an employee to noise varies markedly from day
to day, an employer may use weekly personal noise exposure in place of
daily personal noise exposure.

3.4. An assessment is required if any employee is likely to be exposed to

noise at or above the first action level of 80db(a). Therefore if you feel that
your staffs is being exposed to noise above these levels, please contact the
Force Safety Adviser, who will come out and take measurements.

3
 Noise
Exposure
ACTION
(8 hour)
at and above:

1. Reduce noise levels

2. Wear ear protectors
85 dBA
3. Install warning signs
4. Provide regular hearing tests

1. Measure / assess workers' noise exposures. Repeat when there

have been significant changes, and at suitable intervals (HSE
recommends reviews at least every 2 years).

80 dBA 2. Train workers on hearing loss risks and how to minimise them.
3. Make ear protectors available.
4. Provide regular hearing tests for any employees who are
particularly susceptible to noise-induced hearing loss.

Fig 1: Table showing actions taken for noise exposure

Employers’ responsibilities
Employers have a legal duty to protect the health and safetyof staff from all noise-related risks at work. They
should:
1. conduct a risk assessment — this may involve carryingout noise measurements, but should
consider all the potentialrisks from noise (e.g. accidents as well as hearing
loss);
2. based on the risk assessment, put in place a programme
of measures to:
1. where possible, eliminate sources of noise;
2. control noise at source;
3. reduce worker exposure by work organisation andworkplace layout measures, including the marking
of,and restriction of access to, workplace areas whereworkers are likely to be exposed to noise levels
exceeding 85 dB(A);
provide personal protective equipment to employees
as a last resort;
inform, consult, and train workers about the risks faced,
low noise working measures, and how to use noise protection;
monitor the risks and review preventive measures — this
may include health surveillance

Methodolgy
Noise Survey at college EETTEC workshop

During our lecture in college we did practically experiment in EETTEC college workshop with sound
level meter CASTLE G123 to measuring nose level two different vehicles (petrol car and diesel car)

4
 Parts of cars Diesel car Petrol car action
A. Bonnet closed 69dba 64dba No
B. Open 75dba 73dba
C.Accelerator 86dba(200 rpm) 82dba 2nd action level
D. silencer 66dba 61dba PPE

Note C. above the second action level so we should reduce exposure time or insolate the engine.

Enforcing the use of car defenders

Recommendation

How do I assess the risks?

 How do I get started?
 Estimating employees' exposure
 Competence?
How do I get started?
If you answered 'yes' to any of the questions in the section 'Do you have a noise problem?', you
will need to assess the risks to decide whether any further action is needed, and plan how
you will do it.

The aim of the risk assessment is to help you decide what you need to do to ensure the
health and safety of your employees who are exposed to noise. It is more than just taking
measurements of noise - sometimes measurements may not even be necessary.

Your risk assessment should:

 Identify where there may be a risk from noise and who is likely to be affected;
 Contain a reliable estimate of your employees' exposures, and compare the
exposure with the exposure action values and limit values;
 Identify what you need to do to comply with the law, eg whether noise-control
measures or hearing protection are needed, and, if so, where and what type; and
 Identify any employees who need to be provided with health surveillance and
whether any are at particular risk.
Estimating employees' exposure
It is essential that you can show that your estimate of employees' exposure is representative
of the work that they do. It needs to take account of:

 the work they do or are likely to do;

 the ways in which they do the work; and
 how it might vary from one day to the next.

5
 Your estimate must be based on reliable information, eg measurements in your own
workplace, information from other workplaces similar to yours, or data from suppliers of
machinery.

You must record the findings of your risk assessment. You need to record in an action plan
anything you identify as being necessary to comply with the law, setting out what you have
done and what you are going to do, with a timetable and saying who will be responsible for
the work.

Review your risk assessment if circumstances in your workplace change and affect noise
exposures. Also review it regularly to make sure that you continue to do all that is reasonably
practicable to control the noise risks. Even if it appears that nothing has changed, you
should not leave it for more than about two years without checking whether a review is
needed.

Competence
You need to make sure that your risk assessment:

 has been 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.
You, or people within your company, may well be competent in some or all areas. You may,
however, choose or need to go to external consultants.

Reducing and Controlling noise

About This Procedure

1.1. This procedure explains the principles of controlling noise at work and is
aimed at all staff.

2. Risk Assessments/ Health and Safety Considerations

2.1. Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 the employer has a
duty to prevent or reduce risks to health from exposure to noise at work, assess the
risks to staff from noise at work, provide hearing protection where you cannot reduce
the risk and make sure the noise limits are not exceeded.

6
 Control of Exposure to Noise At The Workplace

3.5.1. The employer has a duty to ensure that the risk of exposure to his
employees is either eliminated or reduced to lowest practical level at
source. Where an employee is likely to be exposed to noise at or above
the upper exposure limit of 85 db(a), the employer shall reduce the
exposure to the lowest practical level.

3.5.2. To reduce or eliminate exposure to staff from excessive noise the

following control measures should be taken into account:

a) use of alternative working methods which reduce exposure to

noise;
b) using equipment to ensure that it produces the lowest level of
noise possible;
c) designing the workplace to reduce exposure;
d) reducing noise at source by technical means;
e) ensuring equipment is well maintained;
f) ensuring staff are given appropriate training and information;

g) limit the duration of exposure.

Personal Hearing Protection

3.6.1. Where staff are likely to be exposed at or above the first action
level of 80db(a) then the employer must ensure hearing protection is
made available to staff when they request it.

3.6.2. When providing hearing protection aim to provide protection which

at least gives protection to below 85db(a). This is achieved by looking at
the SNR (sound noise reduction) figure that is provided by the hearing
protection manufacture. If it has an SNR of 35, this equates to a
reduction of 35dbA in the sound that is heard. Therefore if staff are
exposed to a level of 95db then using hearing protection with an SNR of
35, with reduce the exposure to 60dbA. It should be ensured that staff
are given training in how to use the hearing protection correctly and why
it is being provided and what it protects against. If you are unsure of what
protection to provide staff, please contact the Force Safety Adviser.

3.6.3. If an area of the premises is under the control of the employer, such as
the workshops where staff are likely to be exposed above the first action level, then
the area should be made a hearing protection zone and signs should be post
informing staff that hearing protection must be warn in this area. It should be noted
that visitors going into these hearing protection zones must also wear hearing
protection, this may mean have a supply of disposable hearing protection.

7
3.6.4. Personal hearing protection should only be used where it is not possible to
control noise at source to below the required action levels, such as firearms and
working at pop concerts.

Health Surveillance
3.7.1. Where staff are regularly exposed above the upper action value of
85db (a) or a risk assessment indicates that there is a risk to the health of
staff from noise that they are exposed too, staff should be given health
surveillance, which shall include hearing tests. This can be arranged by
contacting Occupational Health.

Information Instruction And Training

3.8.1. It is important that staff understand the risks they may be exposed
to and where they may be exposed above the lower exposure action
values. You should inform them about the risks to their hearing, what the
control measures are to protect staff, where and how staff can obtain
hearing protection how and when to use it.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

4.1. It is the responsibility of Department Heads, To ensure noise risk

assessments are undertaken where staff are likely to be exposed above the
action levels listed above and to contact the Health and Safety Advisor to
arrange for monitoring to be carried out to identify the level of noise exposure.

5. Administration

5.1. The results of any hearing tests or health surveillance should be kept for
a period of 6 years within the personal medical records by Occupational
Health

6. Monitoring and Evaluation

6.1. This procedure will be monitored by the force Health and Safety Advisor,
to ensure compliance with current health and safety legislation.

7. Review
7.1. This procedure will be reviewed every three years, or whenever
legislation or Force requirements change, or new or amended model risk
assessments are produced.

8
 8. Related Procedure, Policies And Information Sources

8.1. 21300 Policy - Health and Safety

8.2. The Health and Safety At Work 1974

8.3. The Management Regulations 1999

8.4. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005

8.5. 21311 Procedure - Risk Assessment

8.6. AD203 – Equality Impact Assessment

The HSE have advisory plus enforcing rules they can issue important notice
Propitiation notice or procure
And also they have power of entry plus secure

Reference:
1. http://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/
2. http://www.legislation.gov.uk
3. http://www.healthandsafetytips.co.uk
4. http://osha.europa.eu/en/topics/noise/index_html
5. The student handbook