Noise at Work Regulations

Summary

Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent, painless on the day, and almost entirely preventable — which is exactly why it is so common in the trades. There is no first-aid kit moment, no accident book entry. The damage accumulates over years of disc cutters, breakers, circular saws, routers, impact drills and angle grinders, and by the time a tradesperson notices they cannot follow conversation in a pub or has constant tinnitus, the hair cells in the inner ear are gone and do not grow back. Construction has one of the highest rates of occupational deafness of any sector.

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 set a clear, numeric framework around two "action values" and one hard limit. The thing tradespeople most often get wrong is treating hearing protection as the whole answer. It is the last line of defence. The regulations require you to control noise at source first — quieter tools and methods, isolating the noisy work, limiting exposure time — and only then to rely on ear defenders or plugs for the residual risk. The second common error is over-protection: defenders rated far higher than the noise level cut out so much sound that the wearer cannot hear warnings, vehicles or colleagues, takes them off, and ends up with no protection at all.

The exposure values are based on a daily dose, not a single peak — eight hours equivalent. That matters because a tool at 95 dB(A) used for just 15 minutes can put someone over the action value for the whole day. Tradespeople routinely underestimate their exposure because the loud work was "only a bit of it".

Key Facts

• Lower Exposure Action Value (LEAV) — daily/weekly exposure of 80 dB(A), or a peak sound pressure of 135 dB(C). Hearing protection must be made available on request; information and training provided.
• Upper Exposure Action Value (UEAV) — 85 dB(A), or peak 137 dB(C). A programme of noise control measures is required; hearing protection zones must be designated and signed; protection use is mandatory.
• Exposure Limit Value (ELV) — 87 dB(A), or peak 140 dB(C), measured at the ear (i.e. taking the protection into account). This must never be exceeded.
• Decibels are logarithmic — a 3 dB increase doubles the sound energy; every 3 dB roughly halves the safe exposure time.
• The "rule of thumb" check — if you have to raise your voice to be understood at 2m, noise is likely around 85 dB(A); at 1m, around 90 dB(A).
• Control at source first — quieter equipment, low-vibration tools, damping, enclosure, distance and reduced exposure time, before relying on PPE.
• Hearing protection must be suitable — matched to the noise so the level at the ear sits in a safe range (roughly 70–80 dB(A)), not over-protecting.
• Health surveillance (audiometry) is required for workers regularly exposed above the upper action value or otherwise at risk.
• Applies to the self-employed in respect of their own exposure.
• Single-figure ratings — SNR (Single Number Rating) or the HML method are used to estimate the protection a defender or plug provides.

Quick Reference Table

Indicative noise levels at the operator's ear — actual figures vary by tool, material and condition; always check the tool's data:

Detailed Guidance

Working out whether you have a problem

You do not need a sound meter to know you have an issue. HSE's rule of thumb: if you have to shout or raise your voice to have a normal conversation when about 2 metres apart, noise is probably at or above 85 dB(A) — the upper action value. If you have to do that at 1 metre, it is likely around 90 dB(A). If you use any of the tools in the table above for more than a few minutes a day, you are almost certainly over the action values and the regulations require you to act.

A proper noise assessment estimates each worker's daily personal noise exposure by combining the level of each noisy activity with how long it is done. The point of the assessment is to identify where control is needed and to pick the right protection — not to produce a document.

Control at source — the part trades skip

Hearing protection is the last resort, not the first. The regulations require you to reduce noise exposure by other means as far as reasonably practicable:

• Quieter equipment and methods — buy tools with lower declared noise emission; use a coring drill instead of a breaker; cut paving with a quieter method where possible.
• Maintenance — blunt blades, worn bearings and loose guards all add noise; a well-maintained tool is a quieter tool.
• Isolation and enclosure — do the noisiest work away from others; use acoustic screens or enclosures for static plant.
• Distance and time — keep people back from noisy work; rotate tasks so no one does the loud job all day; build in quieter periods.
• Designate hearing protection zones above the upper action value — signed, with mandatory protection use within them.

Choosing hearing protection that works

Over-protection is a real and common failure. A defender rated SNR 35 worn for an 88 dB(A) task brings the level at the ear down into the 50s — so quiet the wearer feels cut off, cannot hear shouted warnings or reversing vehicles, and ends up lifting a cup or taking the defenders off. The target is to get the level at the ear into roughly the 70–80 dB(A) range — protected, but still aware.

Practical points:

• Match the SNR (or HML rating) to the actual noise level — protected, not over-protected.
• Ear plugs, ear defenders, or both for very high noise — but check the combined attenuation, it is not simply additive.
• Defenders must seal — long hair, glasses arms, hard hat straps and inconsistent fit all leak.
• Plugs must be inserted correctly — most of the protection is lost if they are barely in.
• It must be compatible with other PPE — hard hat, eye protection, RPE — and comfortable enough to wear for the whole exposure.
• Provide a choice where practical; the protection people actually wear beats the higher-rated protection they don't.

Peak noise — nail guns, cartridge tools, breakers

Some trade tools are dangerous not for sustained level but for sudden peaks — cartridge nail guns and tools producing impulsive noise. The regulations set peak action and limit values in dB(C) precisely for this. A single high peak can cause immediate, permanent damage. Treat impulsive-noise tools as requiring protection every time, not just on long jobs.

Health surveillance

Where workers are regularly exposed above the upper action value, the employer must provide health surveillance — usually audiometry (hearing tests). The point is early detection: catching a shift in hearing while it is small and changing the work or protection before it becomes disabling. A self-employed tradesperson with regular high noise exposure should arrange their own hearing checks.

Frequently Asked Questions

At what noise level do I have to wear hearing protection?

You must be provided with hearing protection once your daily noise exposure reaches the Lower Exposure Action Value of 80 dB(A), and you can ask for it then. Wearing it becomes mandatory at the Upper Exposure Action Value of 85 dB(A), within a designated hearing protection zone. There is also an absolute Exposure Limit Value of 87 dB(A) measured at the ear — meaning after the protection's attenuation is taken into account — which must never be exceeded.

Can a loud tool used for only ten minutes really be a problem?

Yes. The exposure values are based on a daily dose — the level combined with the time. Decibels are logarithmic, so every 3 dB increase halves the safe exposure time. A disc cutter at 100 dB(A) reaches the 85 dB(A) daily action value dose in roughly 15 minutes. "It was only ten minutes" is exactly how tradespeople accumulate hearing loss while believing their exposure is low.

Are expensive, high-rated ear defenders always better?

No — over-protection is a genuine problem. Defenders rated far above the noise level cut out so much sound that the wearer cannot hear warnings, vehicles or colleagues, feels isolated, and takes them off. The aim is to bring the level at the ear into a safe but aware range, roughly 70–80 dB(A). Match the rating to the actual noise. The best hearing protection is the suitable one that gets worn for the whole exposure.

Does noise law apply if I'm self-employed?

Yes. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 apply to the self-employed in respect of their own exposure. A sole trader using cutting and breaking tools has the same duty to assess noise, control it at source and use suitable protection — and should arrange their own hearing checks where exposure is regularly high, because nobody else is going to do it for them.

Regulations & Standards

• Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 — the action values, exposure limit value, and duties to assess and control noise.

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — the overarching duty of care.

• Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022) — duties relating to provision and use of PPE, including hearing protection.

• BS EN 352 — performance standards for hearing protectors.

• BS EN ISO 4869 — measurement of sound attenuation of hearing protectors (basis of SNR/HML ratings).

• HSE L108 — guidance on the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.

• HSE — Noise at work — the regulator's noise hub

• HSE L108 — Controlling noise at work — full guidance on the 2005 Regulations

• HSE — Noise: Hearing protection — selecting and using hearing protection

• HSE — Sound solutions for construction — noise control in construction

• vibration havs — hand-arm vibration, the other tool-related cumulative injury

• ppe guide — selecting PPE including hearing protection by job type

• toolbox talks — running toolbox talks on noise and other site risks

• dust control — controlling another at-source hazard from the same noisy tools