Industrial Screening

We provide professional testing of your employees hearing, at your place of work throughout the Kent and East Sussex Area. We will come to your premisis and your hearing testing for you, ensuring that you meet your obligations with respect to the HSE Noise at Work regulations.

Our hearing screening service gives your company the following benefits:

• Reduced staff downtime with on-site rapid testing
• Freedom from the hassle of admin and record keeping
• Low-cost, high-value service

Noise Induced Hearing Loss leads to an average injury claim of £18,000.

Screening programs reduce the risk of costly injury claims, many of which are settled automatically by insurance agencies due to the lack of evidence of hearing care in the workplace. We can also provide education for your staff ensuring their understanding of the problem of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and their correct use of personal protective devices.

As a consequence of the Noise At Work regulations, you must:

• Assess the noise levels and do a risk assessment
• Take steps to reduce noise
• Provide hearing protection to staff in 85dBA or higher and to those who
  request it at 80dbA
• Put up Hearing Protection Zone signs for areas above 85dBA
• Provide a health surveillance programme to staff at risk
• Provide training and information where noise exceeds 80dBA

Summary Of The Noise At Work Regulations

The Regulations came into force on the 6th April 2006, except for the music and entertainment sectors where they come into force on 6th April 2008. The exposure limits values only, will be applied to the master and crew of sea-going ships, from 6th April 2011.

Where employees are exposed to noise at or above the lower exposure action value (80dB A), the employer needs to make a suitable assessment of the risk to the health of those employees. Steps must be taken to eliminate or reduce the noise to a low a level as is reasonably practical.

At the upper exposure action value, an employer must reduce employee's exposure to noise to as a low a level as is reasonably practicable. This involves putting in organisational and technical measures e.g. shifts and breaks, design and layout of premises, enclosing machinery.

Hearing protection must be made available on request to employees exposed to noise at or above the lower exposure action value (80dB A). Personal hearing protection must be provided to all employees working exposed to noise at or above the upper exposure action value (85dB A). Hearing Protection Zones, where noise is at or above the upper exposure value (85dB A), should be designated with signs.

Employers need to maintain equipment provided by them to control noise, except hearing protectors. Employees are responsible for using and maintaining the hearing protection provided to them.

Where the risk assessment indicates a risk to health for employees, the employer must ensure that those employees are placed in a suitable health surveillance program. This is principally for workers in noise at or above the upper exposure action value (85dB A), but also for individuals sensitive to noise who work at levels between lower and upper exposure action values.

Employers must provide suitable information, instruction and training to employees exposed to noise at or above the lower exposure action value (80dB A).

Noise and Sound Level Examples

Noise Level Guide