The European Control of Noise at Work Regulations define action
levels (80 and 85 dBA) that are based on a worker's daily or weekly
noise exposure - they are not based on simple snap-shots of the
noise level. The worker's noise exposure can be measured using
a Noise Dosemeter such as the doseBadge,
which is worn throughout the working day. Otherwise, you can use
a sound level meter to
measure the average sound level (LAeq) at each location that the
person is working at during a typical day.
To use the LEP,d Calculator, make noise
measurements at each location and make note of how long the person
works there. Enter these levels into the calculator.
In the example above, the person works for four hours at Machine
1, two hours at Machine 2 and two hours at Machine
3, making a total of 8 hours. The worker's Daily Noise Exposure
LEP,d is 88.2 dB(A).
The colour coding on the screen are:
Black
Level is below the first action level.
Red
Level is above the first action level but below the second
action level.
Red Bold
Level is above the second action level.
It is clear above that reducing the noise at Machine 2 will
have the greatest influence on the daily noise exposure.
The calculator will accept sound levels between 40 and 140 dB.
Exposure times can be up to 24 hours at each location with a limit
of 24 hours on the total exposure time.
