|
Benchmark Noise Assessments
The INVC Noise Assessment report is the industry benchmark (we are the IOSH approved competency training organisation for noise). It provides a programme of action that details what constitutes "best practice" to meet all the requirements of the regulations in your specific circumstances. Our noise assessment reports have been developed as working documents - the antithesis of the "write-only" noise assessment "phone book" reports that are all too common. They are designed for use by managers and safety professionals to implement effective action to manage the risks as cost effectively as practical. In many cases, they can be issued "as is" as a statement of company policy.
Noise Assessment Quality and the Cost of Claims
The HSE figures for 2002 highlight the generally poor quality of noise assessment in the UK. 63% of noise assessments were deemed “inadequate” ie a re-assessment would be required to bring them up to the necessary standard. HSE research also indicates that it costs a company £7000 - £36000 to process every £1000 paid out in claims. A large proportion of this cost is often a consequence both of the difficulties inherent in extracting historical information from past paper based noise assessments in different formats and of the variable quality of historical reports.
|
Our noise assessments can also include a Noise Control Audit that provides you with costed noise control options based on the best of current technology. We have also developed innovations in assessment best practice such as the Digital Noise Assessment as described below.
Control of Noise at Work Regulations - Revised Noise Assessment Expectations
There are significant changes required in the approach to noise assessment and management under the new regulations. Re-assessment may not be necessary - provided you have good existing data, a review and minor update may be all that is needed. However, the noise assessment must provide you with a detailed programme of action. Investing in a high quality and practical assessment as a template for future updates is good practice . In addition, an evaluation of the noise control options is required as controlling noise is a priority - PPE cannot be used as a long term solution unless it can be shown that noise control is not practical. Quoting the HSE:-
“...these regulations are concerned with controlling noise, not measuring it..... Health surveillance can be regarded as a tax on the failure to control risk...... the most important thing about the risk assessment is that it identifies, in an action plan, what needs to be done to protect employees from the noise. Employers would be expected to use the information and action plan produced by the risk assessment to set about managing noise risks...... if solutions have been identified “stop assessing and start controlling....." |
Digital Noise Assessment (DNA) - Optimise and Automate Noise Assessment
The opportunity to reduce the costs, resources and time required to manage the risks of noise at work by 90% or more ...
Our Digital Noise Assessment (DNA) provides you with benchmark high quality report and presentation templates that cover all the requirements of the noise regulations - including an all important practical and pragmatic plan of action.
It also puts your assessments on the company server so that you can find and use the information fast.
We provide the initial template so that future updates can be implemented quickly and cheaply in-house. In addition, DNA can also include a comprehensive evaluation of the noise control options using the best of current technology.
- Speed: template noise assessment report format and tools make assessments and updates much faster and easier
- Reduced Costs: instant access to past data reduces the costs of potential claims by at least an order of magnitude
- Effective Action and Distribution: an Action Plan that encourages effective and practical action
- Quality and Accuracy: Digital Noise Assessment provides a benchmark template that is a distillation of best practice
- Record Keeping, Accessibility: all noise assessment data is instantly accessible - a Cure for Corporate Amnesia
Dosimetry Data - Be Careful....
Typical "single day" short-term dosemeter based noise assessments are not recommended unless hand-held meter measurements are impractical. The results acquired over the first day are always different from those of subsequent days. Consequently, dosimetry should be used over a period of time that is sufficient to generate statistically valid data. Note that dosemeters are inherently less accurate than hand-held meters and, unless carefully used, can give measurement errors of as much as 2 - 6dB(A). Consequently, there have been several cases where the incorrect use of dosemeters in noise assessments has led to workplaces being wrongly defined as noise hazard areas at considerable cost to the employer and unnecessary discomfort to the employees.
|
INVC Noise Assessments Assessed
". . . exactly the way noise assessments should be presented . . . . loved the way the technical details are separated from the practical recommendations . . . . the noise action plan section is ideal . . . . . particularly impressed by the low costs associated with the noise control options to actually solve some of the problems . . ."
|
Back to top 
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
|
