Your shopping cart is empty.
16
16
Employers and PCBUs have a duty to protect workers from noise-induced hearing loss. To effectively manage and reduce the risks associated with exposure to hazardous noise, and meet compliance requirements, you need to identify unsafe noise, put in place the appropriate controls and monitor them on a regular basis.
An Occupational Noise Assessment (ONA) will help you to ensure the health and safety of your employees exposed to noise. Using the latest noise monitoring equipment, it will determine how loud the noise is and how long employees are exposed to it.
The purpose of an ONA is to:
You have a duty of care to identify and assess any noise risks to your employees and others. Once a noise risk has been identified, you must carry out an Occupational Noise Assessment within the workplace.
The noise assessment should be repeated at least every five years or whenever:
Our Occupational Noise flowchart summarises what you need to do and how often.
Learn about Daily Noise Exposure Limits
Our ONA measures noise levels generated by machinery and processes, identifies employees exposed to unacceptable noise levels and provides noise control options to reduce inappropriate noise. It systematically evaluates noise levels in your workplace to ensure they are within safe limits set by regulatory bodies.
Over the course of the assessment, our consultant will:
You should conduct an ONA when noise is considered to be a problem and:
The risk of noise-related injury depends on how loud the noise is and how long the worker is exposed to it. Noise exposure measurements are taken at an employee's ear position.
Regulations set the exposure standard for noise in two parts :
OHS/WHS Regulations stipulate that employers have a duty of care to ensure that:
Regulations have a hierarchy of noise controls to protect employees when they operate in hazardous noise areas. It consists of the following:
Workplace noise is usually measured using a sound level meter which measures and records the level of decibels in the surrounds. A more precise and effective approach to measuring noise exposure levels is by using personal noise dosimeters. These are noise monitoring devices that are placed on the shoulder of the operator and record noise levels over the course of the shift. As the dosimeter is placed close to the ear, it accurately represents the noise levels that operators are exposed to.
At JTA, we believe that dosimetry is essential for accurately determining worker exposure levels in various scenarios, including engaging in multiple tasks with different noise sources, single tasks with complex noise profiles, tasks with exposures nearing the standard, and tasks that are challenging to assess with only a sound level meter.
To ensure that we provide the most accurate assessments, we incorporate state of the art dosimetry equipment into our regular noise assessments. Our dosimeters can do all of the functions standard dosimeters can but with some valuable extra capabilities such as recording octave band data, high vibration levels and statistical noise levels.
Noise can have temporary and permanent effects. Repeated exposure to loud noise over time may cause permanent hearing loss. This is called Noise- Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and it usually happens over many years. How much hearing loss a person has depends on the noise level, how long they are exposed to it, and their susceptibility. NIHL can also happen from sudden loud noises, like explosions, gun shots or heavy hammering. If the noise is loud enough, the damage can be immediate. NIHL can't be repaired.
Most State OHS/WHS regulations require employees who need to wear hearing protection to do their job to undergo Audiometric Testing:
As a matter of convenience, we provide mobile onsite Audiometric Testing at a time to suit you and your workforce, no matter what shifts they work. Read more about our Audiometric Testing.
An occupational noise assessment should be conducted by a competent person who is someone:
Conducting regular noise assessments and implementing effective control measures can lead to cost savings by:
Personal protective equipment (PPE) can be used if all other controls do not reduce the noise levels to an acceptable level. The appropriate level of hearing protection to be used must correspond with the level of noise exposure. Common types of hearing PPE are:
When selecting hearing protection, you must ensure that the level of noise entering the worker’s ears is reduced to below the exposure standard for noise. If a worker needs to frequently wear personal hearing protection to protect them from noise above the noise exposure standard, you must provide the worker with regular audiometric testing.
All workers should be provided with Noise Awareness Training to provide them with an understanding of why noise can be harmful and how hearing protection and noise controls can reduce the risks. The training should cover:
If the protection provided by personal ear protection is too high, workers could be overprotected. This makes crucial communication difficult because they can’t hear their coworkers talking. It can also diminish a person’s ability to hear critical noises such as warning signals/sounds and moving vehicles, so it can actually prove detrimental to a person’s immediate safety.
Call 1 300 856 282
Speak to our friendly team
Ask a Question
Use our online enquiry form for a quick quote
Newsletter Sign up
Get the latest legislation changes and news updates
Head Office Melboune
139 Ormond Road Elwood, VIC 3184
Mornington Peninsula
20 Lister Avenue,
Sorrento,
VIC 3943
JTA Health, Safety & Noise Specialists acknowledges the Boon Wurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which the home of JTA resides. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and acknowledge and uphold their continuing relationship to this land.
