Noise

Loud noise at work can damage your hearing. This usually happens gradually and it may only be when the damage caused by noise combines with hearing loss due to ageing that people realise how impaired their hearing has become.

Why is dealing with noise important?

Noise at work can cause hearing damage that is permanent and disabling. This can be gradual, from exposure to noise over time, but damage can also be caused by sudden, extremely loud, noises. The damage is disabling in that it can stop people being able to understand speech, keep up with conversations or use the telephone.

Hearing loss is not the only problem. People may develop tinnitus (ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears), a distressing condition which can lead to disturbed sleep.

Noise at work can interfere with communications and make warnings harder to hear. It can also reduce a person's awareness of his or her surroundings. These factors can lead to safety risks – putting people at risk of injury or death.

Do I have a noise problem?

You will probably need to do something about the noise if any of the following apply:

• the noise is intrusive-like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant, or worse than intrusive, for most of the working day
• your employees have to raise their voices to have a normal conversation when about 2 metres apart for at least part of the day
• your employees use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour a day
• your sector is one known to have noisy tasks, eg construction, demolition or road repair, woodworking, plastics processing, engineering, textile manufacture, general fabrication, forging or stamping, paper or board making, canning or bottling, foundries, waste and recycling
• there are noises due to impacts (such as hammering, drop forging, pneumatic impact tools etc), explosive sources such as cartridge-operated tools or detonators, or guns

Situations where you will need to consider safety issues in relation to noise include where:

• you use warning sounds to avoid or alert to dangerous situations
• working practices rely on verbal communications
• there is work around mobile machinery or traffic

How can I control noise?

There are many ways of reducing noise and noise exposure. Nearly all businesses can decide on practical, cost-effective actions to control noise risks, if necessary by looking at the advice available (eg HSE's noise at work website).

First, think about how to remove the source of noise altogether, for example housing a noisy machine where it cannot be heard by workers. If that is not possible, investigate:

• using quieter equipment or a different, quieter process
• engineering/technical controls to reduce at source the noise  produced by a machine or process
• using screens, barriers, enclosures and absorbent materials to reduce the noise on its path to the people exposed
• designing and laying out of the workplace to create quiet workstations
• limiting the time people spend in noisy areas

Choosing quieter equipment and machinery

You should consider noise alongside other factors (eg general suitability, efficiency) when hiring or buying equipment. You should compare the noise data from different machines, as this will help you to buy from among the quieter ones.

When should personal hearing protection be used?

Hearing protection should be issued to employees:

• where extra protection is needed above what has been achieved using noise control
• for short-term protection, while other methods of controlling noise are being developed

You should not use hearing protection as an alternative to controlling noise by technical and organisational means.

Employees to whom you provide hearing protection should receive training in how to use it.

Detecting damage to hearing

If the risk assessment indicates that there is a risk to health for employees exposed to noise, they should be placed under suitable health surveillance (regular hearing checks).

Find out more

HSE's noise at work website