Noise at Work Assessment

An employer is required by law to identify the exposure of excessive noise to their employees. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations (CoNAWR) have been developed in order to comply with the European Union Physical Agents (Noise) Directive (2003/10/EC). Following the introduction of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, employers have a responsibility to ensure that workers' hearing is protected from excessive noise exposure. Changes to the regulations include the following: New lower and upper exposure action values. A new exposure limit value has been introduced, which takes into account the benefit of any hearing protection worn and hence applies to the noise level experienced at the ear.