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Qualifications and Certification
We take great care to ensure that the assessment is carried
out by an engineer who can be clearly shown to be competent,
with suitable training and experience.
It is also important that the equipment used for this type
of survey meets the demands of the regulations and is regularly
maintained. |
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Qualifications
Noise assessors are very experienced in their field, certified
by Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and hold the more general NEBOSH
certifications. They work almost entirely on noise-related issues
including assessing noise risks, advising clients on noise control
measures and providing noise training. Before being submitted to
clients, our noise assessment reports are reviewed by a second
person who also holds IOA certification and is also a Chartered
Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Instrumentation
All the equipment that we use is to the correct grade (or higher)
to satisfy both the European noise at work regulations and the
HSE's guidelines.
In summary, the EU regulations and the HSE's guidelines demand
the following minimum specification:
- Integrating Sound Level Meter capable of measuring
LAeq and C-weighted Peak
- Should meet at least Class 2 of BS EN 61672 or at least Type
2 of BS EN 60804
- Dosemeters should meet BS EN 61252
- A suitable Sound Level Calibrator should be used before making
measurements
- All equipment should have been calibrated within the last two
years
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| Sound Level Meters |
We use Class 1 (better than Class 2) Integrating Sound
Level Meters, which exceed the requirements of the regulations.
We find it is always better to say "we used the best" rather
than "we used one that just meets the requirements".
The meters we use are also fitted with Octave Band Filters
so that we can carry out a detailed analysis of hearing
protector performance. |
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| Noise Dosemeters |
The noise dosemeters that we use meet the required BS EN
61252 standard. |
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| Calibrators |
We use the correct type and grade of Calibrator for both
the Sound Level Meters and the Noise Dosemeters. |
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| Verification |
All sound level meters, noise dosemeters and calibrators
are sent to a calibration laboratory every year for verification.
Although the regulations state that "every two years" is
adequate, we prefer to have equipment independently verified
more often than that. |
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| Certificates |
Calibration Certificates for all the equipment used during
the survey are included with the report. |
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