Noise assessments : When to repeat or review them

When you need to repeat, review or redo a noise assessment.

Noise assessments are not a one-shot process and employers have some requirements to review them regularly and to get a new noise assessment done in some circumstances.

The Noise Regs contain the HSE’s requirements for reviewing or repeating the noise assessment, in both the actual regulation and then the expanded guidance.

It is worth flagging from the start that there is no definitive ‘thou shalt do it this often’ mandate for repeating a noise assessment in the regs. Some suppliers do put an expiry date on their noise assessments but I am nicer than that and make it clear in all the noise survey reports how you can do a basic review in-house and then use a noise assessment consultant such as myself for the less frequent complete repeat or reassessment.

The video walks you through it, or the text below explains it all as well if you prefer rather than sitting listening to me waffle on.

The law on repeating a noise assessment

Regulation 5 covers this and says:

The risks assessment shall be reviewed regularly and forthwith it:

  • There is reason to suspect that the risk assessment is no longer valid; or

  • There has been a significant change int he work to which the assessment relates.

There is then guidance from the HSE expanding on the reviews of noise assessment.

The noise assessment should be reviewed and updated when circumstances change in your workplace which might alter the level of exposure or where there are technological changes or changes to the availability, applicability or cost noise-control measures. The review of the [noise] assessment should be part of an ongoing noise-risk management and control programme which a pick up changes as they occur. Even if you consider there have been no changes, you should review your assessment at least every two years.

What the law about repeating a noise assessment means

There is no set date on which a noise assessment ‘expires’ but the company should have a system in place to review it if anything changes which may impact the existing noise assessment. For example, new machines, new layouts, changes in working practices such as a longer shift, etc.

The guidance on repeating a noise assessment expands on that slightly by also saying that external noise-control measures may have changes in availability or cost and what was not feasible in the past may be possible now.

My advice on repeating noise assessments

There is a difference between ‘reviewing’ and ‘repeating’ a noise assessment.

Reviewing a noise assessment

When I do a noise assessment I always tell my clients that they can review it themselves. While I am partial to getting paid, there is nothing special about reviewing a noise assessment and clients can do that in-house.

That review is checking if anything has changed since the noise assessment was done and if nothing has changed, all is good and you can move on.

One bit of advice, document that you did that. It doesn’t need to be anything extensive so something like safety committee minutes or a note appended to the original noise assessment is absolutely fine. You are creating a trail that if asked by someone such as the HSE, yes we reviewed the noise assessment on this date. They may disagree with your outcome, but disagreeing with a process is far less egregious than them thinking it has not been done at all.

Repeating a noise assessment

This is a completely new noise assessment meaning everything is measured from scratch again. This should still be done even if you think nothing has changed as inevitably there will be small changes which go unnoticed such as wearing cutting heads, bearings or motors, loose panels, air leaks and so on, all of which can impact on the overall noise level. Repeating the noise assessment from scratch will catch these.

I recommend this completely new noise assessment is based on the risk levels of the workplace - I give that in my noise assessment reports.

  • For very high risk workplaces, repeat it every two years.

  • For medium risk workplaces, repeat the noise assessment every three years.

  • For low risk workplaces, do the noise assessment every four years.

From experience, most factories tend to fall into the three year repeat recommendation.