Health & Safety Risk Management System

H08 - Control of Noise at Work

Over one million employees in Great Britain are exposed to levels of noise which put their hearing at risk.

Noise at work can cause hearing loss that can be temporary or permanent. People often experience temporary deafness after leaving a noisy place. Although hearing recovers within a few hours, this should not be ignored. It is a sign that if you continue to be exposed to the noise your hearing could be permanently damaged. Permanent hearing damage can be caused immediately by sudden, extremely loud, explosive noises, eg from guns or cartridge-operated machines.

Hearing loss is not the only problem. People may develop tinnitus (ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears), a distressing condition which can lead to disturbed sleep.

This procedure tells you what you should do to assess the noise risk and offer some simple solutions to controlling noise in the workplace.