Many working environments are noisy. The movement of people, vehicles and machines can create dangerous levels of noise that need to be managed. Failing to do so can result in serious hearing problems for workers and you could be at risk of breaching health and safety Regulations in place to protect your workers.

If you know your working environment is noisy for your workers you will need to perform a noise risk assessment. You will have to assess what the risks are and decide if you need to take any further action in order to reduce those risks to you and your employees. During the assessment you will need to:

  • Identify the sources of the noise and decide who is likely to be affected by the noise
  • Decide how you can comply with the law which may include introducing noise control measures, providing hearing protection and provide health surveillance to those at risk.
  • Assess the exposure levels

The exposure level estimates need to take into account how the levels may vary each day, the workers and the work they do and how they perform their work. The findings have to be recorded and you need to create an action plan which will determine your next actions, who needs to take action and when it needs to be completed by.

You Need a Competent Person on Your Team

The risk assessment for noise must be completed by someone who is considered to be competent. You may need training in order to become competent, or provide training to someone else within your organisation that will be able to assess the noise and create the risk assessment for you.

One of the suitable courses to consider is the NEBOSH General Certificate. This is a great course that will teach you basic skills in health and safety. The course covers hazards in the workplace and how to control them, making it ideal for anyone given the responsibility of managing or helping to manage health and safety within your organisation including noise management.

You can learn more about the occupational health and safety qualification from NEBOSH by speaking to one of our advisors. Call Envico on 0844 567 6750 for help.