Workplace Noise Assessment
Trusted since 1999 · Proven delivery partner
Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent, and it is entirely preventable. Our workplace noise assessments measure what your employees are genuinely exposed to across a working day, compare it against the action and limit values in the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, and tell you exactly where you need to act. We support employers, health and safety managers, facilities managers, contractors, manufacturers, workshops and laboratories across London, Kent, Surrey, Essex, Hertfordshire and the South East. Trusted since 1999, with 27 years of experience, we produce assessments that stand up to scrutiny and that your supervisors can actually use on the floor.
When a Noise Assessment Is Required
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 place a duty on employers to assess and control the risks from noise at work. An assessment is needed whenever noise is likely to reach or exceed the lower exposure action values, and it must be reviewed when work, plant or patterns of exposure change. A simple rule of thumb on site is conversation: if people have to raise their voices to be understood at a couple of metres, the assessment is overdue.
- Noisy plant, machinery, tools or processes are in regular use
- Employees raise their voices to be heard during normal work
- New equipment, new processes or longer shifts have been introduced
- Hearing protection is already issued but its suitability has never been assessed
- Health surveillance or audiometry results raise concern
- You need evidence of compliance for an enforcing authority, insurer or client
The Action and Limit Values
The Regulations set three tiers. At the lower exposure action values, you must provide information, instruction and training, and make hearing protection available. At the upper exposure action values, you must reduce exposure by means other than hearing protection so far as is reasonably practicable, and hearing protection use becomes mandatory in designated hearing protection zones. The exposure limit values must not be exceeded — and unlike the action values, they take into account the protection provided by hearing protectors.
- Lower exposure action values: daily or weekly personal exposure of 80 dB(A) and peak sound pressure of 135 dB(C)
- Upper exposure action values: daily or weekly personal exposure of 85 dB(A) and peak sound pressure of 137 dB(C)
- Exposure limit values: 87 dB(A) and peak sound pressure of 140 dB(C)
- The exposure limit values take hearing protection into account; the action values do not
What We Measure and How
We combine two complementary methods. Personal noise dosimetry places a small dosimeter on the employee for a representative period of the shift, capturing every task, break and movement between areas — which is the only reliable way to establish a daily or weekly personal exposure. Sound level meter area surveys measure specific machines, workstations and zones, which is what you need in order to design controls, mark out hearing protection zones and inform purchasing decisions. Peak sound pressure is captured for impulsive sources such as impacts, presses and hammering.
- Personal noise dosimetry over representative working periods
- Sound level meter measurements at machines, workstations and walkways
- Daily and weekly personal exposure calculations
- Peak sound pressure capture for impulsive and impact noise
- Noise maps showing zones and boundaries across the workplace
- Review of the suitability of hearing protection against measured spectra
What the Report Gives You
The report translates measurement into decisions. Each measured exposure is presented against the lower and upper exposure action values and the exposure limit values, so the position of every role is unambiguous. We identify the individuals and groups most at risk, mark out where hearing protection zones should be signed and enforced, and comment on whether the protectors in use are suitable — both under-protection and over-protection are flagged, because protectors that cut out too much can isolate a worker from warnings and speech.
- Measured exposures compared with the action values and exposure limit values
- Identification of the roles, tasks and areas that carry the greatest risk
- Noise maps and recommended hearing protection zone boundaries
- Assessment of hearing protection suitability for the measured noise
- Prioritised noise control recommendations, from source and path through to receiver
- Advice on when the assessment should be reviewed or repeated
Industries and Tasks We Cover
Noise risk is not confined to heavy industry. We assess manufacturing and engineering plants, joinery shops and fabrication workshops, construction and demolition sites, maintenance and facilities teams, plant rooms and energy centres, laboratories with noisy equipment, warehousing and logistics operations, and commercial estates where contractor works affect staff.
- Presses, saws, grinders, routers and compressors
- Fabrication, fettling, panel beating and hammering
- Breaking, cutting and demolition activity
- Plant rooms, generators, pumps, fans and chillers
- Forklift and materials handling operations
- Mobile tools used by maintenance and installation teams
How the Process Works
We keep the route from enquiry to report short and predictable, and we plan attendance so your production is not held up.
- Enquiry — you describe the site, shifts, plant and roles involved
- Scoping — we agree the similar exposure groups, measurement plan and access arrangements
- On-site monitoring — dosimetry and area survey during normal operations
- Calculation — daily and weekly personal exposures and peak levels
- Reporting — comparison with action and limit values, noise maps and prioritised controls
- Follow-up — support with control planning, zone signage and repeat assessment
Frequently Asked Questions
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