European Physical Agents (Noise) Directive

These Regulations are about protecting workers from exposure to noise, which is still a problem in many industries. It was estimated that these Regulations will extend protection to around one million new workers, in addition to the same number protected under current law.

The main changes from the existing Regulations are the reduction by 5 decibals (dB) of the exposure levels at which action has to be taken. The new exposure levels will be 80dB and 85dB with a limit of 87dB on personal noise exposure. This will mean that some employers who already take action to control noise may have to do more, according to the HSE (Health & Safety Commission). For most employers the new Regulations came into force in February 2006.

The HSE says that the limitation on personal noise exposure now allows hearing protection to be taken into account. In addition, where noise exposure varies from day to day, it can be averaged over a week rather than over 8 hours. And the original requirement for health surveillance at 80dB has been qualified so that it only applies where there is a risk to health.