Harmful noise levels

If your employees are exposed to harmful noise levels, you must take measures to prevent hearing damage. Employees should comply with the measures you take. 

What are harmful noise levels? 

Do your employees work in noisy environments for longer periods of time? This may cause hearing damage (in Dutch). This can happen if noise levels are 80 dB(A) or over. To clarify, if you cannot hear a person standing 1 metre away, the environmental noise is probably over 80 dB(A). Professions with the risk of hearing damage are, for example: 

• wood- and metalworkers
• construction workers
• truck drivers 

What constitutes hearing damage? 

Hearing damage, or noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), can be temporary or permanent. It can take different forms, such as increased sensitivity to sound (hyperacusis), tinnitus, or deafness. 

Preventing hearing loss 

If there is harmful noise in your company, you should take measures to reduce it, such as:

• use more quiet machines
• ensure your employee is not exposed to noise for longer periods of time
• devise quieter production methods
• place machines in noise-cancelling enclosures
• let employees work in sound-proof cabins 

If this does not suffice or is not possible, you have to provide hearing protection (in Dutch) for your employees. You can find more information about the definitions and provisions you need to take in the Working Conditions Decree, Section 3 (Noise). 

Mandatory hearing protection 

If your employees are exposed to noise of over 80 dB(A) daily, you must give them hearing protection. The following rules apply:

• Noise levels of 83 dB(A): your employee can work without protection for up to 4 hours. There should be no harmful sounds in the remaining 4 hours.
• Noise levels over 85 dB(A) for 8 hours: your employee must wear hearing protection. You should indicate in which areas of the workplace this is mandatory.
• Noise levels over 87 dB(A) with hearing protection: you should immediately reduce the sound. 

Right to a hearing test 

Your employees are entitled to have their hearing tested regularly. How often your employee gets tested depends on the daily amount of noise and on the individual employee. The test can be carried out by a health and safety expert or health and safety service. As their employer, you have to pay for the test. 

Action plan and information in your RI&E 

You have to draw up an action plan as part of your risk assessment and evaluation (RI&E). Do your employees work in places where the sound level is higher than 85 dB(A)? Your action plan must set out ways to reduce risks of harmful noise. You must also inform your employees about the dangers of loud noises.