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Keeping the noise down

Martin Rayns discusses the implications of the UKs Noise at Work Regulations
THE challenges that the UKs 2005 Noise at Work Regulations present to the engineering industry are significant. It is estimated that over one million people in the UK alone are exposed to excessive noise levels at work and are at risk of suffering hearing damage. 170,000 people suffer deafness, tinnitus or other ear conditions as a result of exposure to excessive noise at work. Power tools, hammering, loud machinery and fans are all potential noise pollutants in an industrial engineering environment. And in the chemical engineering industry powder grinders, mills and dryers are a common source of noise. Powder blasting, for instance, involves the high speed charging of metal powder and the gear box of a powder dryer can cause connector plates to vibrate and radiate noise. To combat the problem of noise in the workplace, the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 which came into force in April 2006 introduced stiff new requirements for noise control. Noise-induced hearing loss is irreversible but entirely preventable. The new regulations reduced upper and lower action levels by 5 dB from 90 and 85 dB(A) in the previous directive to 85 and 80dB(A) and introduced a new upper exposure limit of 87 dB(A). The regulations require employers to take different actions depending on whether they break the upper level of 85 dB(A) or the lower 80 dB(A) level. At the first action level, employers should advise employees on their levels of exposure, provide suitable hearing protection and offer training as to their use, undertake health surveillance, and reduce levels to as low as reasonably practicable. At the second level, the wearing of hearing protection becomes mandatory and employees exposed to these levels are subject to audiometric testing. This does not absolve the employers responsibility to reducing the noise levels at source, as the issuing of hearing protection alone is no longer considered satisfactory. The regulations also introduced 20 a fundamental change in the focus of noise at work legislation, which is equally as important. Whilst the focus of earlier legislation was on assessment, quantification of exposure levels and consequent hearing protection, the new regulations move towards an agenda of proactive control and management of noise issues. The new legislation concentrates on controlling noise at source and the implementation and monitoring of a noise control action plan over a given period of time. Risk management is now more closely regulated: risk assessments must include noise control programmes and managers must implement good practice noise control and risk management procedures. This includes reducing noise exposure and providing employees with hearing protection, information and training. The new legislation also requires that where possible, noise should be controlled at source by technical or organisational means. Personal protective equipment (PPE) should only be used when all other forms of noise control have been exhausted. Employees who are exposed to noise levels above the lower action level should be under continual health surveillance. Those exposed to levels above the upper action level should have regular audiometric hearing tests. Employers across most industry sectors have taken a largely responsible attitude to noise measurement and undertake noise assessments at the required frequency. The few experienced industrial noise control engineering companies are benefitting, as engineering companies turn to them to accurately diagnose noise problems and solve often complex noise engineering issues. What does all this mean in practice? And what does the employer do next, having completed his Noise at Work Assessment and established his employees daily exposure levels? believes a particular piece of machinery to be the problem noise source. In some instances they have often already prescribed a solution. Not only can this prove to be a wrong decision, but it can inevitably be a costly one! The key is to understand your noise problem. Firstly, you need to identify and then treat the dominant noise source. This is best achieved by taking a range of noise readings at various frequencies and turning off machinery to attempt to identify and isolate dominant noise sources. Whilst this is always desirable, in practice it is not always possible. It is at this point that industry and experience come into play. At an even more practical level, why not compare the noise levels of identical machinery within the plant? On many occasions a machine can be noisier in one area than another. This could be caused by lack of adjustment on a knife separator for instance, or simply by worn-out bearings. In one recent case, a company which had requested an acoustic enclosure for a compressor was shown how it could solve the problem by simply repositioning the motor shroud which at some point had been leant on and was physically rubbing on the impellor running at 1500 rpm. Interestingly, the noise experts found an identical machine running at the side of the first unit at a much lower noise level the operators had not noticed the difference. The result was a noise problem solved at no cost! Whilst it may sound unbelievable, noise control engineers tend to have plenty of similar examples. In organisations where the noise source is easy to identify, this process can very often be done in house, with the assistance of a maintenance engineer and in a very low cost manner. Organisations that are affected with high noise levels from a multitude of plant and machinery are much more likely to require a full noise audit and the involvement of more specialist noise control expertise. An effective noise audit, undertaken as part of an overall noise action plan, will identify the noise control options available and the potential www.tcetoday.com

understand your noise problem

The key to practically and costeffectively treating noise problems is to begin with a very accurate diagnosis of the noise source. It is not unusual to be called to a site where the customer

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costs involved. It will help prioritise the necessary actions relative to the number of employees that may benefit and the costs involved. It will also serve as a record when deciding that noise control is not a practical solution. vibratory tables and conveyor vibrators or even having these switched off when the product is not moving along the conveyor will also have immediate reduction in noise levels, very often with cost savings. Where noise is caused by the impact of metal, drop heights and metal on metal impacts can be reduced or removed altogether. It is often worthwhile to review feeds and speeds of equipment along with maintenance regimes and ensure equipment is regularly maintained, as this can be a key contributor to noise levels in the factory and a relatively quick and cost effective way of reducing them. Carefully consider any modifications to existing machine guards, with a view to improving acoustic performance. Noise should definitely be a consideration when designing new machine guards along with all other health and safety considerations. the noise reductions necessary could be in excess of 20 dB(A) and on many occasions even considerably higher. It is highly unlikely that a company will have the necessary skills in-house to cater for these levels of attenuation and will need to call upon a professional industrial noise control engineering company. Some of the solutions that noise control engineers have on hand include acoustic enclosures, sound havens, and barriers and doors which are designed to isolate the receiver from the noise source. Each in turn can provide an optimum solution. Despite the inevitable problems that can be encountered with access, maintenance and cooling, enclosures can be designed in thorough consultation with production management, maintenance staff and very often with the machine operators to adequately cater for most difficulties. Furthermore, enclosures can be linked-in to most manufacturing processes with automatic access for equipment such as conveyor systems and pallet shuttles. Safety switches on access points can often improve the safety features of a particular process, as well as reduce noise levels. Windows can be included using modern shatterproof materials, and stainless steel constructions make them particularly acceptable for most food and pharmaceutical industries. Walls and ventilation louvers/ attenuators are calculated with the help of specialist acoustic design software calculation packages, which optimises the enclosures construction and cooling requirements while making the design as cost effective as possible. In one recent example, we supplied a site experiencing noise levels above 100 dB (A) with two acoustic enclosures and housing equipment designed to reduce noise levels to 74 dB(A) at 1 m. We were able to incorporate the customers particular requirements for daily and major maintenance which involved completely removing the enclosure roof area and found that the enclosure actually reduced noise levels to 72 dB(A) at 1 m. Needless to say, the customer was delighted! tce Martin Rayns (mrayns@ wakefieldacoustics. co.uk) is noise consultancy manager at Wakefield Acoustics

practical solutions
Having identified the dominant noise sources it then becomes possible to look closely at the root cause and establish solutions and options. In tackling industrial noise sources there are a wide variety of solutions which, with a clear diagnosis of the actual noise source, should form part of an overall noise reduction programme. These are often referred to as the hierarchy of noise control and involve areas such as elimination, workplace design and organisation, engineering controls, and isolation.

eliminating noise
One option is to eliminate the actual noise source by removing the process or machine causing the noise and replacing it with a less noisy piece of equipment. Or it may be possible to redesign the work or work pattern. In new plants a low noise purchasing policy could be introduced, where noise levels are taken into account when procuring plant and equipment. This can help you make more informed decisions. Care must be taken when interpreting manufacturers noise data and the circumstances in which noise figures are given. They should reflect the environment in which the new machine is to be installed.

isolation
Where it is possible to isolate noisy machinery you could consider erecting enclosures, screens and baffles around equipment. Or fit inlet and outlet silencers to fans, blowers, steam vents and exhaust stacks. Another option is to install sound booths to isolate workers from noise sources. This can often prove to be a most cost-effective solution and where sophisticated control equipment is used in running a production process, can provide an improved working environment for both man and machine. As a direct result of the change in legislation, many manufacturing companies previously not affected by the new regulations have noise levels that are just above the upper action levels of the 85 dB(A) daily exposure level. It is these companies that are most likely to benefit from a consultation with a noise control engineer. It is often possible to reduce noise levels by between 510 decibels (nominally), by thorough examination and consideration of the first three categories highlighted above. This will very often result in de-regulating work areas that would otherwise, under the new legislation, be deemed as hearing protection zones where staff have to wear hearing protection. Inevitably and despite in-house efforts to reduce noise levels, situations will arise that call for considerable reductions in noise levels and require employees to be isolated from the noise source. Typically, in these instances,

workplace design and organisation

Work patterns, process flows and layouts should be reviewed and workers repositioned in less noisy areas.

engineering controls
Each noisy process should be reviewed and the root cause identified. A whole host of engineering controls can be implemented to eliminate the causes of noise. A small reduction in pressure, for instance, will immediately reduce noise levels at no cost. Another option is to fit silencers on exhaust vents and reduced noise level nozzles, also a lowcost solution. To reduce the potential of structureborne noise problems, isolate vibrating machines by fitting anti-vibration mounts and flexible joints on rigid pipework. Fit damping material to feed chutes and conveyors to reduce vibrations. Reducing air pressure on www.tcetoday.com

Disclaimer: The information in this article cannot be taken as an authoritative interpretation of the law. Such an interpretation can only be given by employment tribunals and the courts. Before taking any action, you may wish to consider taking legal advice.

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