Creating an Effective Noise Management Strategy for Industrial Workplaces

Across a broad range of industrial environments in countries like the UK, workers cannot be adequately protected unless there is a strong noise management strategy in place.

Prolonged exposure to excessive noise levels, after all, can bring a significant risk of employees suffering from permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, stress, reduced concentration, and lower productivity.

Accurate assessment is a crucial first step. Reliable sound meters from RS can measure decibels produced by certain settings and activities. This can enable organisations to gather the data necessary for effective decision-making and compliance with pertinent legislation like the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.

Beyond measurement, though, a successful noise management strategy will also need to incorporate risk assessment, engineering controls, workplace procedures, appropriate hearing protection, employee training, and regular review.

With all that in mind, this article looks at how an organisation in Great Britain can put together the right such strategy for the team members at its industrial premises.

Step 1: Conduct A Thorough Noise Risk Assessment

A quick “disclaimer”: while this guide is chiefly aimed at decision-makers in UK organisations, much of what it states will be applicable to similar situations for businesses elsewhere in the world.

The starting point of creating an effective noise management strategy for an industrial workplace should be taking the time to identify noisy processes, machinery, and work areas.

For this purpose, the use of calibrated sound level meters can be combined (where exposure varies or workers move around) with personal noise dosimeters.

For workplace noise assessment, A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure levels (LAeq) can be used to help calculate personal exposure. Meanwhile, C-weighted peak sound pressure levels (LCpeak) are used to assess very loud impact or impulse noise.

These measurements can be followed by estimating daily or weekly personal exposure (LEP,d or LEP,w) and comparing results against the action values set out under the aforementioned legislation. Findings can then be recorded and particularly at-risk workers identified.

By now, some immediate control opportunities might already be apparent. A reassessment will be required whenever a significant change to processes, equipment, or layouts takes place.

Step 2: Apply The Hierarchy of Controls

The principle here should be to prioritise measures that eliminate or reduce noise “at source”, before relying on personal protective equipment (PPE):

• “Eliminate or substitute” is a crucial rule of thumb. Noisy processes or machinery should be replaced with quieter alternatives wherever possible.
• Engineering controls will likely play an imperative role. These may take the form of (to cite just some examples) silencers being fitted on exhausts, damping materials being used on vibrating panels, and/or noisy machines being enclosed.
• Organisational and administrative controls can often make a big difference, too. Among other possibilities, these could entail workflows being redesigned, the distances between noise sources and workers being increased, and/or job rotation being implemented to help limit the time staffers spend in high-noise parts of the workplace.
• Hearing protection measures may need to be adopted as a last resort. In cases of lingering residual risk to workers’ hearing health, employers may have to supply suitable ear defenders or plugs, and to make them mandatory in marked hearing-protection zones. If so, workers should also be trained in their use.

Step 3: Maintain Controls and Monitor Performance

The regular inspection and maintenance of noise-control equipment, machinery, and hearing protection will help guard against any degradation in their performance.

It will also be important over time for records to be kept of measurements, actions taken, and maintenance interventions.

Periodic re-measurements, using appropriate instruments, will further help verify that controls remain effective and noise exposure is still below legal limits.

Step 4: Provide Information, Training, And Health Surveillance

Industrial employers should also take care to ensure their employees benefit from clear information about noise risks, assessment outcomes, control measures in place, and how they can effectively use and look after hearing protection. Training will need to be provided to on-site personnel on safe working practices, too.

Where the risk assessment indicates a risk to employees’ hearing health, suitable health surveillance should be provided. This will commonly apply where workers are frequently exposed above the upper exposure action values. However, surveillance may also be appropriate at lower exposure levels where individual circumstances indicate a risk. Such surveillance should include baseline as well as periodic audiometric testing.

Any early signs of workers suffering from hearing damage must receive a prompt and urgent employer response.

Conclusion: A Proactive and Systematic Approach Is Essential 

The task of managing industrial noise effectively for worker benefit necessitates more than simply measuring decibel levels or issuing ear defenders.

By identifying hazards, measuring exposure appropriately, prioritising well-judged engineering and organisational controls, providing suitable hearing protection, and regularly reviewing performance, industrial businesses can go a long way to shielding their employees from the risks that excessive noise can present.