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The Occupation Safety and Health Service of the Department of Labour has revised the Approved Code of Practice for the Management of Noise in the Workplace, published in 1996. Primarily, the changes adopted bring OSH regulations into line with standards AS/NZS 1269:1998.
OSH regulations revolve around three primary issues;
a) The requirement to identify hazardous noise in the workplace
b) The requirement to control hazardous noise, or to protect staff from hazardous noise.
c) To arrange hearing tests for employees who work in areas of hazardous noise, and to notify OSH if serious harm is detected.
For more specific information on OSH requirements, you may wish to down load an 'Introduction to the Approved Code of Practice for the Management of Noise in the Workplace', by clicking HERE (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader). This 4 page document outlines employer responsibilities for the management of noise, and provides a useful checklist for implementing a preliminary noise survey.
While the rule of thumb assessment of workplace noise suggested in many preliminary surveys is useful for determining areas of risk, the only real way to ensure compliance with the standards is to take noise level readings.
Additional changes in the new Approved Code of Practice also include the recognition of the "Classification" or "Class" method of hearing protectors. The new classification takes into account the manner in which hearing protectors are used in the workplace.
Medica Consulting's specialist Workplace Services cover every aspect of workplace noise management, and ensure that your environment is operating in compliance with current regulations.
If you have any queries regarding workplace noise management, please fee free to telephone one of our friendly professional team members. For a list of contact telephone numbers, click HERE.
© 2005 Medica Consulting Limited.
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