Health and Safety Noise Risk Assessments
Do you have a noise problem at work?
This will depend on how loud the noise is and how long people are exposed to it. As a simple guide you will probably need to do something about the noise if any of the following apply:
Is the noise intrusive – like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant – for most of the working day? Do your employees have to raise their voices to carry out a normal conversation when about 2 m apart for at least part of the day? Do your employees use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour each day? Do you work in a noisy industry, e.g. construction, demolition or road repair; woodworking; plastics processing; engineering; textile manufacture; general fabrication; forging, pressing or stamping; paper or board making; canning or bottling; foundries? Are there noises due to impacts (such as hammering, drop forging, pneumatic impact tools etc), explosive sources such as cartridge-operated tools or detonators, or guns?