Reducing Workplace Noise
In most places employers have a legal responsibility for safeguarding the health of their employees while they are at work, and this specifically includes caring for their hearing.
If your workplace has a number of noise sources or any loud volume noise (including loud music in entertainment venues) it is essential that you take appropriate steps to protect the hearing of your employees; failure to do this could result in legal action being taken against you by an employee seeking compensation for hearing damage.
Noise doesn’t effect just hearing
Exposure to noise acts as a stressor, activating physiological factors that, over time, can produce a range of adverse health effects. Although all of the effects and mechanisms are not yet clearly understood, it has been demonstrated that noise can produce both acute and chronic health effects such as:
- Headache
- Elevated blood pressure
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Digestive disorders
- Increased susceptibility to colds and other minor infections
One of the main problems is that noise can be an insidious cause of harm. Excessive noise levels over a long period of time will damage hearing so gradually and painlessly that a person may not notice the minor deterioration from one day to the next.
The degree of loss depends on the loudness of the noise and the level of exposure. Some people exposed to excessive noise develop tinnitus, which is described as a constant ringing sound. For most cases of noise-induced hearing loss, there is no cure. Hearing aids only amplify sounds, and can't replace normal hearing capability.
How do you identify potential noise hazards in a workplace?
Begin by conducting a walk-through survey to determine whether or not noise is a potential problem in your workplace. Some indicators of a potentially hazardous noise level are:
- The noise is louder than busy city traffic
- People have to raise their voice to talk to someone who is just 3 feet away
- At the end of their work period a person has increased the volume of their radio or TV to a level that would be uncomfortably loud for others
- After working for a prolonged period of time, employees have difficulty hearing you when there are other sounds or voices, not necessarily loud, impinging on your conversation
As well, have an occupational hygienist conduct an assessment of noise level readings around the premises to see if they fall within legally acceptable levels.
Reducing the noise risk
There are a several things you can do to reduce employees’ exposure to noise hazards. These include:
- Redesign equipment and work processes so they are not as noisy - for example, by lining metal chutes and bins with scrap rubber conveyor belting.
- Stop the noise from reaching employees by moving noisy machines away from them, by building soundproof enclosures around noise-producing equipment, or by putting up a barrier between machines and operators.
- Reduce the time people are exposed to noise by moving them between noisy and quiet jobs so nobody is exposed to noise for too long.
- Provide suitable safety equipment, earmuffs or earplugs, and mandate their use by employees in noisy areas.
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a major health problem in businesses. It is estimated that nearly one-third of industrial workers will experience some degree of hearing loss as a result of working in noisy environments. You may be at risk of a law case if you don’t take steps to manage the noise hazard to your employees. |
