The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have recently published a new third edition of the Control of Noise at Work: Guidance on Regulations (L108). In this article, The Compliance People Consultant, Mick Baah, briefly looks at the changes to this guidance and The Control of Noise at Work Regulations.

Many people continue to be exposed to significant and harmful noise levels at work which can lead to permanent and incurable issues.

The guidance document which supplements The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 provides information to employers and other duty holders on the control and management of risks arising from workplace noise. It provides information and guidance on the following areas:

• Interpretation of legal obligations
• Risk assessment of workplace noise
• Practical control measures for noise at work
• Selection and use of hearing protection
• Management of noise risk via health surveillance
• Considerations for when buying and/or hiring equipment

We’ve been asked about how changes to the guidance may affect organisations. The latest update to the guidance is only very minor, with the purpose and focus of ensuring that it is in keeping with changes to other related legislation, advances in technology and experience.

The main changes to and impacts of the guidance are summarised below:

• Employers’ legal duties under workplace noise legislation are subject only to minor changes in interpretation of key terms and definitions, application of the regulations and in selection of hearing protection.
• The layout of the guidance document has also been amended, so that it prioritises the control of exposure to the risk of workplace noise.
• The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) policy on control of noise remains unaffected by the release of the new updated guidance.

If you require any further information, a link to the updated guidance document can be found here https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l108.pdf

If you need more help, why not get in touch with us? – Our professional team of consultants offer independent, periodic compliance evaluations for both environment and health & safety and we can help review your arrangements.