Noise at work: hearing protected, duties met.

The Regulations set a lower exposure action value of 80 dB(A) and an upper exposure action value of 85 dB(A), both as daily or weekly personal noise exposure, plus an exposure limit value of 87 dB(A) that takes hearing protection into account. Matching peak sound pressure values of 135, 137 and 140 dB(C) cover impact noise. At 80 you must provide information, training and hearing protection on request; at 85 protection becomes mandatory, zones must be marked and health surveillance provided; 87 must never be exceeded at the ear.

If people have to raise their voices to hold a conversation two metres apart for parts of the day, you're probably around the 80 dB(A) lower action value. If they have to shout, you're likely at or above 85. Typical candidates: manufacturing, joinery, food and drink production, print, construction trades, and music venues. If in doubt, the assessment is cheaper than the claim.

Yes, wherever exposure is likely to reach the upper action value of 85 dB(A). The zone must be marked with signs, entry controlled, and hearing protection worn by everyone who goes in. Our report identifies the zones on a plan so you can implement them without guesswork.

Every assessment is a fixed fee agreed up front, so we don't publish a price list. Tell us what you run, roughly how big the site is and how many job roles are involved, and we'll come straight back with a figure. No day rates, no surprises.

Many workplaces can be measured in a single visit, scheduled around your production, including night shifts. Larger sites or multiple shift patterns may need longer. Either way, the report lands within five working days of the survey.

The Regulations don't set a fixed interval. You must review the assessment when it may no longer be valid: new machinery, changed processes or layout, altered shift patterns, or health surveillance results that suggest something's wrong. Many businesses review every couple of years as a matter of good practice.

They're two halves of the same duty. The survey is the measurement: noise levels across your workplace and workers' daily exposure. The risk assessment is what the Regulations actually require: the measured exposures compared against the action values, with the controls, hearing protection and health surveillance that follow. We deliver both in one report.

dB(A) weights sound the way the ear hears ordinary levels and is used for the daily exposure values. dB(C) responds to the low-frequency energy in very loud, short events and is used for the peak limits of 135, 137 and 140 dB(C), and for selecting hearing protection against impulsive noise like impact tools or presses.