Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005: what it requires

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 ask employers to assess noise exposure and control it. They also ask employers to inform and train the people exposed to it.

What it actually says

Once the lower action value is reached, “the employer shall provide those employees and their representatives with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training”

Regulation 10(1), Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, on legislation.gov.ukThe trigger is a measured exposure level, so the first duty is to know your levels. Training follows the measurement, not the other way round.

Statutory InstrumentApplies to: Employers whose staff are exposed to noise at or above the lower exposure action value.

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 ask employers to assess noise exposure and control it. They also ask employers to inform and train the people exposed to it.

Courses that cover the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005

This ProCompliance course names the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 as its governing framework. It is the training this law asks for. It also states its own accreditation, so you can check it before you buy.

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What the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require

Regulation 10

Employers must provide “suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training” where noise reaches or passes the lower exposure action value.

Regulation 10

It must cover the nature of the risks and the control measures in place. The exposure limit and action values come next, along with the findings of the risk assessment and any measurements. Workers also need to know how to get hearing protection and use it correctly. The training then covers how to spot and report signs of hearing damage. Finally, it names entitlement to health surveillance and safe working practices that keep exposure down.

Read the official text on legislation.gov.uk

What the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 mean for training

Exposure reaching the lower action value triggers the training duty. The noise assessment therefore decides whether the law asks for training. Regulation 5 also asks the employer to review that assessment regularly, and straight away where the work changes significantly. That means the answer can change when a machine, a process or a shift pattern changes.

Common questions

When is noise training legally required?

When noise reaches or passes the lower exposure action value. Regulation 10 of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 then requires suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training.

What decides whether the noise training duty applies?

The noise risk assessment does. Regulation 5 applies where work is liable to expose employees to noise at or above a lower exposure action value. The employer must then make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk. That assessment shows whether regulation 10 applies, however loud or quiet the place feels.

How often does the noise assessment have to be looked at again?

Regulation 5 of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 asks for a regular review. It also asks for one straight away where the assessment may no longer be valid. The same applies where the work has changed significantly. For example, a new machine, a new process or a new shift pattern is the kind of change that prompts one.

This plain English summary is not legal advice. The wording above comes from the official text. This page links to that text, and you should rely on it instead. Some duties depend on your own risk assessment, so only that assessment can tell you what they mean.