Identifying Excessive Noise Levels in Manufacturing Facilities

The hearing health of workers at manufacturing sites can be put at risk if noise levels climb too high, with potential consequences including permanent hearing loss or tinnitus. It should be no great surprise, then, that UK health and safety legislation places duties on employers to assess and control risks from workplace noise.

With accurate measurement of workplace noise levels being critical, tools such as sound level meters play a central role.

Such equipment helps engineers, health and safety teams, and other responsible individuals pick out areas of the workplace where machinery, processes, or other activities may be generating potentially hazardous noise. This, in turn, can inform suitable steps to assess and control the risks.

Excessive Noise, And Why It’s a Concern in Manufacturing

It isn’t automatically the case that manufacturing environments always produce high sound levels. However, the abundance of machinery, presses, grinders, conveyors, cutting tools, and pneumatic equipment that can be found across such sites can certainly heighten the likelihood of staff being subjected to prolonged excessive noise.

If excessive noise does indeed occur at a manufacturing premises, the possible adverse impacts aren’t limited to communication becoming more difficult between workers, or staff members failing to hear warnings or alarms. Even if a particular noise does not seem painfully loud at the time, it may still damage hearing.

This risk helps make clear why the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) urges the country’s employers to assess and, where necessary, measure workers’ exposure to noise. The outcome of this assessment can then enable employers to take well-informed steps aimed at eliminating or minimising the risks.

Understanding Noise Exposure Action Values

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 outline clear duties for employers in Great Britain. A key facet of this legislation is the establishment of lower and upper exposure action values for daily or weekly personal noise exposure.

These are:

An exposure limit value of 87 dB(A) also exists for daily or weekly personal exposure, taking account of the attenuation that hearing protection provides, alongside a peak sound pressure limit of 140 dB(C).

It is important not to interpret these figures as simple machine noise limits. The exposure action values relate to workers’ personal exposure, which depends on noise levels as well as the duration of exposure.

The First Steps of Identifying Excessive Noise Levels at A Manufacturing Site

Employers seeking to identify potentially high levels of noise at their manufacturing plant are advised to begin with a noise risk assessment.

Specialist consultants won’t necessarily always be required for this if a competent person is able to estimate exposures using manufacturer data, HSE ready-reckoners, or straightforward observations.

Where exposures are likely to approach or exceed the action values, more detailed measurement may be necessary to determine workers’ personal exposure accurately.

The Key Equipment for Measuring Workplace Noise Levels

Among the commonly used tools and methods for measuring noise, sound level meters are the primary instruments for spot checks and area surveys. Suitable sound level meters can measure A-weighted equivalent continuous sound levels (LAeq) and, where required, C-weighted peak levels (LCpeak).

Another potentially important form of noise measuring equipment is the noise dosimeter. These personal monitors are worn directly by workers, to help provide a more accurate picture of individual exposure over a whole shift. This can be especially crucial where tasks vary or workers move between areas.

The most reliable results are often produced by combining area measurements with personal dosimetry. Employers must bear in mind, too, the importance of taking noise measurements in representative working conditions.

What Happens After Noise Levels Have Been Measured?

Once noise level measurements have been taken, employers should proceed to:

1. Create a noise map of the facility to help make clear where the “hotspots” are.
2. Calculate personal daily or weekly exposures.
3. Compare results against the action and limit values.
4. Review the assessment at regular intervals, or whenever processes, equipment, or work patterns change.

Conclusion: Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Workplace Noise Measurement

When manufacturers take the steps outlined in this article to detect excessive noise at the earliest possible stage, they will be putting themselves in a stronger position to adopt well-targeted measures to help protect their workers.

The outcome of such action won’t just be employees’ hearing health being better shielded against the worst that could happen.

That’s because suitable interventions into workplace noise levels can also be vital for reducing the likelihood of legal claims, enhancing compliance, and optimising productivity through quieter or more effectively maintained equipment.

Ultimately, investment in dependable measurement equipment and competent assessment also constitutes investment in a safer overall workplace culture.