Control of noise in induction environment is an important challenge for health and safety managers. Some situation are inherently noisy and very difficult to control especially if old equipment is used and installations are complex. I have evaluated employees’ exposure to noise in a powder packaging unit. The unit consisted of one open plan packaging building divided into two packaging lines, office building and out of use production facility and garage. There were only two employees working in packaging area and their working day was approximately 9 hours long.
Their work consisted of connecting 400Kg bags to packaging machinery, empty bags of sizes between 1-10Kg were then filled by the packaging machine and manually put on desk. Once the desk was full of bags the operatives would seal each bag manually and put it into a transport container. In the bagging area 1 ton powder containers were manually decanted into the packaging machine delivery systems and automatically packed. The packaging process was supervised by two operatives.
The noise exposure of the operatives was caused by operation of rather old and battered packaging line. Further noise was caused by the operatives themselves when they had hit the conveyors to free clogged up lines.
I have carried out the assessment according to the requirements of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 and relevant guidance. These regulations specify the responsibilities of employers, employees and machinery manufacturers in reducing the risk of hearing damage due to excessive noise at work. The regulations require the employer to identify if employees are exposed to a daily (or weekly) exposure level in excess of the Lower Action Value of 80 dB(A) or the Peak Action Value of 135 dB(C); identify if employees are exposed to daily (or weekly) exposure levels in excess of the Upper Action Value of 85 dB(A) or the Peak Action Value of 137 dB(C) ; identify if employees exposed to daily (or weekly) exposure levels in excess of the Limit Value of 87 dB(A) or the Peak Limit Value of 140 dB(C).
I have observed the working practices of the employees and the tasks they have to complete during their whole working day. I have carried out measurement task specific noise levels in order identify the most significant contributors to the employee’s overall exposure levels.
My measured confirmed that despite all the bashing and hitting the employees have to do the keep the line going the overall daily noise exposure levels did not exceed the lower action value stated in the noise control regulations.
Work Place Noise Levels
If you find yourself needing to raise your voice to speak to someone 3 feet away, the noise levels may be over 85 decibels. Several sound-measuring instruments are available to measure the noise levels in a workplace, these include sound level metres, and noise dosimetres. Noise may be a problem in your work due if you
- Hear ringing or humming in your ears once you finish work
- Have to shout to be heard by someone less than 2 metres away
- Temporary hearing loss when leaving work
The HSE gives in-depth information regarding The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 which you can find here.
Noise exposure kills the nerve endings in your inner ear and over exposure will result in more and more dead nerve endings eventually becoming permanent hearing loss that can not be corrected through surgery or medicines. Noise-induced hear loss limits your ability to hear high-frequency sounds and understand speech, which will severely affect your ability to communicate. Hearing aids are an option, but they will not restore your hearing back to normal.
To avoid hearing loss from noise, exposure in the work place is to introduce quieter machines and work methods and completely remove the loud equipment or isolate the noise source. However, we understand that sometimes that is not possible, so another way of reducing noise exposure would be to limit worker exposure by lowering the amount of time workers are exposed as well as introducing effective PPE such as hearing muffs and ear plugs.
If you are unsure your workers are exposed to noise, do not hesitate to get in touch with Sysco Environmental who are experienced in noise control providing not only acoustic consultancy but also high-quality noise control solutions for virtually any noise problem whether it is commercial, domestic, or environmental. For more information click here
Reliable Information
Occupational Noise Exposure Video
