What is a Decibel?
The decibel (very often abbreviated to dB) is a unit of measurement used to express the ratio of two values. It is often attributed to the level of sound produced by almost everything including electronic devices such as TV’s, speech, jet engines and power tool etc.
In 2005 a new piece of legislation was brought into play called the ‘Control of Noise at Work Regulation 2005’. It placed a direct responsibility on the employer within Great Britain to actively reduce the risk of noise to their employees by controlling the amount of noise they are exposed to. The act was implemented throughout most industries in April 2007 with the music & entertainment sector receiving the policy just over a year later.
Noise within the workplace can cause serious communication problems as loud or intrusive volumes of noise will interfere with potential warnings such as fire alarms. The loud noise can also make people less aware of their surroundings. All these issues added together can lead to serious safety hazards, including the risk of death.
Employers are expected to provide their workers with full training so they have the ability to understand the risk they could potentially be exposed to.
What your employer should tell you about noise in the work place
When working within an environment that produces a lot of noise or noise that may cause you harm there are a few basic things your employer must tell you about your job:
- The risk of noise exposure
- What risk this poses to your hearing
- What is being done to control these risks
- Where available hearing protection is kept
- How to identify and report potential defects in noise-controlled equipment and / or hearing protection
The Regulations
The purpose of the Noise Regulation act 2005 was to ensure that a workers hearing is protected within the workplace from excessive noise that can cause damage to the eardrum leading to conditions such as tinnitus (a permanent ringing in the ears).
Replacing the ‘Nosie at work Regulations 1989’ the new 2005 act use similar European Union directives to provide basic laws throughout the EU that help protect workers.
The level at which employers MUST provide efficient hearing protection and ‘hearing protection zones’ has now been set at 85 decibels (around the sound of an average factory and could possibly cause damage if exposed for 8 hours). The level at which an employer MUST carry out a full assessment of the risk to a workers health and provide them with the correct information and adequate training has now been set at 80 decibels.