Contact us or click the links for further information on any of the following .....

The Noise Management Action Alternative to Noise Assessment (11/06/08)
Many noise assessments are an unnecessary waste of time and money....
This year, most companies should not spend the money and resources they have ear-marked for yet another noise assessment just to tell them what they already know - that they have a noise problem. This often an automatic, un-regulated "check box" process that happens every couple of years as an alternative to Action to minimise the risk. As such, it can also be a licence to print money for suppliers of the service. Best practice, however, requires investment in action rather than in (statistically) unnecessary re-assessment. This is not only a key recommendation in the regulatory guidance, but the approach can also dramatically reduce the overall cost of managing the risks from noise.

Our Noise Management Audit is the "action" alternative to conventional assessment. This new approach is founded on our unique experience within the industry and provides you with a benchmark technical review of your company programmes and policies. It generates a detailed, pragmatic Action Plan (including innovative noise control options) that can substantially reduce the cost of compliance and may even render the process self-financing.

The typical elements of the audit include: an engineering evaluation of all the noise control options (almost invariably neglected in assessments, despite being the keystone of the regulations) with costs and benefits; certification that PPE can be used for long term risk management where it can be proved that noise control is impractical (another regulatory requirement sadly missing in most noise assessments); Buy Quiet purchasing policy advice (implementation and policing); template documentation for future noise assessments (giving the cost effective option to move it in-house) with technical support and training programmes covering all the elements. Download the Noise Management technical note here.

Managing Acoustic Shock - Call Centre and Communication System Staff Noise Exposure
There is an enormous amount of hype, mis-information and scare-mongering surrounding the issue of acoustic shock in call and communication centres. Whilst an unknown proportion of call-centre operators may suffer from "Acoustic Shock" induced effects on their health, the picture is severely clouded by rumour and the sound of an approaching band-wagon.... We have been asked to carry out an objective evaluation of the reality associated with acoustic shock and to come up with a practical and effective risk management programme. A few of the salient facts and features are outlined below:-

Despite inferences to the contrary, with modern equipment there is no risk of hearing damage (ref Control of Noise at Work Regulations). Objective determination of the scale of the acoustic shock problem is not helped by the crop of overstatements or misleading comments, e.g.:- "... the Acoustic Shock was so bad for one woman that it made her ears bleed..."

At present, there is no objective data that confirms a significant risk to health, or that could be used to estimate any potential risks to operators. Rather like back pain, many of the potential reported symptoms cannot be measured objectively: pain, numbness, headache, vertigo / nausea, shock / anxiety / depression / tiredness... In an RNID study of 15 call centres, telephony operatives were tested for the symptoms of acoustic shock. 30% suffered from tinnitus and 39% ‘believed their hearing had been damaged during their employment in the call centre'. However, c70% of the population have experienced tinnitus by age 70 and tinnitus can be made worse by stress. How do you separate myth from reality? - particularly as the same issue of RNID Tinnitus Review 2006 also contains the following example of prime quackery:-

"Sound therapy consists of the application of specific sound frequencies .. believed to promote the process of ‘sympathetic resonance entrainment. In a healthy body, every cell and organ vibrates at its own specific frequency .. these oscillations are constantly shifting away from their natural resonance as a result of the ongoing bombardment of external, or sometimes self inflicted, phenomena, such as stress and negative emotions .. can obstruct the free flow of energy across the body...".

Pragmatic Acoustic Shock Management - save time and money
We have developed a short, multi-media acoustic shock management programme and briefing that covers best practice in risk management to minimise any health risks from acoustic shock - a few of the highlights are listed below:-

Operator Logs: - note all acoustic shock events; - questionnaires on symptoms (beware leading questions...)
Environmental design: - reducing background noise does not address startle as this is based on the relative change in level
Training: - allaying unfounded fears based on rumour - facts make it easier for operators to cope with unusual "acoustic shock" events; use real examples of acoustic shock event recordings; reassurance as to objective risks
Guidelines / check-list: - recommended acoustic shock risk management procedures
Hardware Limiters: - eliminate acoustic shock events electronically - technically, based on our past experience, this is entirely practical provided there is actually a sufficient risk (2 events / 1000 personnel / annum) to health to warrant the cost (we could design one costing <£100/head)
Contact us for further information or if you would like to discuss effective acoustic shock risk management systems.

New In-Ear Noise Assessment Instrumentation
We have invested in the latest in-ear microphone technology to simplify noise assessments on personnel who wear helmets or other protective equipment that makes conventional noise assessment difficult. It can also be used to assess noise levels inside PPE to evaluate operator exposure against the Exposure Limit Value (ELV) of 87dB(A). Previously, we had used the standard instrumented head for these tests - which has its drawbacks, for example when measuring the exposure of a motorbike rider at high speed... The new microphone systems fit inside helmets or muffs and records the sound entering each ear, so noise measurements can be taken on real staff under real working conditions quickly and safely. This allows us to speed-up the process, reducing the cost of the noise assessments . Typical applications include pilots, motorcyclists, air-flow helmet wearers, fire-fighters and any other personnel who wear helmets or other types of equipment where conventional sound level meter measurement is impossible or were noise levels are potentially high enough to cause the regulatory ELV to be exceeded.

The “You must Control Noise at Work ” Regulations - PPE not permitted unless ....
The new 06/04/06 regulations require a seismic shift in attitude to noise management - “these regulations are concerned with controlling noise, not measuring it...”. Consequently, companies must now quantify the noise control options rather than simply repeating risk assessments that usually include little or no useful or practical information on the topic - and PPE can no longer be used for long term risk management unless it can be proved that noise control is impractical.

The simplest and most cost effective approach to meet this regulatory requirement is to invest in a Noise Control Audit - either instead of a conventional risk assessment or as an upgrade to an existing assessment. This provides detailed costs and benefits for all the noise control options for a single machine or for a whole site using the best of current technology. Certification can also be provided where noise control is not practical so that PPE can be used.

HSE Road -Shows - the Sell-out Tour of 2005/6
The series of 16 one day combined HAV and Noise road-shows across the country was so well received that another 4 dates were added. Organised by the EEF and the HSE, they provided direct access to the inspectors (who wrote the regs.) and to the INVC (who provided the risk control presentations). Information on the content (downloadable) is available via www.hse.gov.uk; www.eef.org.uk) - or contact us. You can access similar information within your own company via our Best Practice Noise Management Briefing.

Hire Company HAV Data Stop Lights. Hirer beware!
The commonly used hire tool company HAV risk “traffic light” system is supposed to provide information to users about the relative risks from tools. Unfortunately, it can be dangerously misleading as it is based on manufacturers’ declared values that cannot be used for risk assessment. Despite this fact, some of the hire company literature implies that the data can be used for this purpose. Consequently, relying on this data could well leave employers open to potential liability claims as many tools are much more dangerous than the colour coding would suggest. Some hire companies, however, are beginning to use the HAV-Base HAV database to generate accurate field vibration values for their tools.

Cadbury - Noise Management Best Practice in Action
Their commitment to World Class health and safety standards led Cadbury to take a very proactive approach to the new regulations by commissioning an INVC Noise Control Audit across their UK sites. This showed that by implementing the recommended control programme (now under way) will allow them to de-regulate half their production areas. This will substantially reduce the number of personnel who must wear PPE whilst avoiding the operational problems linked to the hygiene, access and maintenance issues associated with conventional palliative noise control. They also estimated that the programme will also pay for itself within seven years.

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Direct Links
noise control audit - digital noise assessment - noise competency training - noise training - product noise control - fan noise control - VWF (Vibration White Finger) - Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) assessment - HAV competency training - HAV database (HAV-Base) - Whole Body Vibration (WBV) measurement - environmental noise control - noise nuisance - environmental noise monitoring - production line testing (noise and vibration) - noise nuisance / annoyance recorders - frequency analyser and noise analyser software

Industrial Noise & Vibration Centre
889 Plymouth Road, Slough Berks SL1 4LP
Tel: 01753 698800 Fax: 01753 567 988
email:consult@invc.co.uk