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Maps of workplace noise
Comparison of meters
Environmental noise

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Noise survey vs
noise assessment

Technically a 'noise survey' is simply a measure of general noise levels in the workplace. A 'noise assessment' is a measure of personal risk arising from noise exposures and must include recommendations for noise reduction where possible.

Often these terms are mixed up and used interchangably. To be clear, the Noise Regulations require a noise assessment and although it may be referred to as a noise survey, HSMC provide assessments allowing you to comply with the Noise Regs.
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Not sure what the noise regs actually require? A summary of them is on our sister website here.

Noise surveys and noise risk assessments

Noise surveys or noise assessments are used where noise is suspected to be a hazard and risk assessments for noise are required by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. One of the first questions employers have to decide is whether they need a noise survey in the first place, after all, there's no point in paying someone to do a noise assessment if there is no risk present. This initial decision is a bit of guesswork on the part of the employer but the following are useful signs to look out for:

People have to talk loudly to be understood by someone 2m away. I SAID, PEOPLE HAVE TO TALK LOUDLY....
Employees complain that their ears 'ring' when they go somewhere quiet.
You have manufacturer's information for your equipment giving the noise levels generated by it during use and if this is over 85dB you should have a survey.
Employees comment that when they drive home in the evening they put the stereo on at a reasonable volume in the car, then when they get back into the car the following morning the first thing they have to do is turn the volume down again.

If you think any of these may apply to your workplace or to people working in the areas concerned then a noise survey is needed to measure the actual levels present.

Using the latest equipment and Institute of Acoustics certified assessors HSMC can undertake this noise survey for you, providing valuable data on the noise risk levels present and helping you comply with the regulations.

Noise surveys / noise assessments include:

Type 1 noise measurement
	Noise meters commonly come in two 'Types'. Type 2 is the minimum standard for assessments which are in compliance with the Noise Regulations. Type 1 is the 'gold standard', offering greater levels of accuracy and reliability.
Average noise exposures including personal dosemeters
	HSMC will measure the noise received by your employees and will provide the noise measurement results required to fully comply with the noise risk assessment sections of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations. This includes Leq, Lep,d, Peak levels, etc. (and tell you what these mean). We have two methods for doing this, firstly the hand-held units provide logging data which allows us to plot the noise levels each second for both general noise and the complete octave range. This way we can accurately measure noise levels at the workplaces. The second is the personal dose monitoring which is done with several wearable dosemeters in the form of metal 'badges', (known as dosimetry). After downloading to the main unit the pattern of the noise exposure experienced by the wearer is provided in the form of a graph, along with the actual noise exposure for the period monitored.
Octave Band Noise Analysis
	In addition to the overall or total noise levels, we provide a breakdown of the noise into its component frequencies. Why do you need this? Hearing protection such as muffs or plugs offer varying levels of protection at different frequencies therefore providing an analysis of the frequency levels allows selection of the appropriate hearing protection.
Peak Sound Pressures
	Some noises are sharp, fast percussive sounds and in these instances the peak sound pressure is important.
Employer's Noise Survey Report and Noise Assessment
	Our noise survey reports include all the following as standard: Possibly the most commonly read section - a plain-language management summary of the findings, to-the-point detail of where it is loud and a synopsis of what you need to do about it. Average sound exposure values and all personal monitoring results. Identification of noise peaks and the values they reached. Octave band sound analysis for areas in excess of 85dB(A). Comments and recommendations on the hearing protection which is appropriate for the noise risks you have, including verification of your existing hearing protection if suitable as required by the Noise at Work Regulations. Recommended noise reduction measures - an Action Plan based on the findings and observations from the noise assessment.

Octave band analysis display

Dosebadge in use

Noise Maps

We have heard of companies who have been told they need a 'noise map' of their workplace meaning many hundreds or even thousands of measurements and usually a large bill for clients. THIS IS NOT TRUE - don't spend more on this than you need to.

The noise regulations are about protecting people therefore the measurements must be people-based rather than equipment-based. After all, if you have a loud piece of equipment but nobody works near it or is affected by it then its of no danger to anyone.

Hand-Held Meters vs Dosimetry / Dosemeters

There are two types of noise meter mentioned above and both are suitable for personal noise monitoring. Wearable dosemeters are useful in specific circumstances, for example where staff are very mobile, but are very much secondary to a good hand-held meter wielded by someone who knows what they are doing. Dosimeters are more prone to error and interference by the wearer which can be avoided by an experienced professional with a hand-held meter. We do use personal dosemeters for jobs where it is impractical to follow people around with the hand-held meter but otherwise will rely on the main noise meter itself.

Environmental noise nuisance and surveys for Building Regulation approval

HSMC specialises in workplace noise exposure for the purposes of risk assessment under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. Unfortunately we are unable to offer noise surveys for environmental nuisance purposes, e.g. noisy neighbours, noise from a process causing disturbance to residential areas, etc. as this is a separate discipline from workplace noise measurement. This is also the case for surveys being conducted for building regulation approval measuring factors such as noise transmission between floors and walls, etc.

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