Noise at Work in Ireland: Employer Duties Under the General Application Regulations 2007

Employers in Ireland who have noisy work areas need to know three numbers: 80, 85 and 87 dB(A). Those are the daily exposure levels in the Irish noise rules that trigger duties, from assessment and training at the lower end to a ceiling that must not be exceeded. This guide explains how those duties work in practice for employers, managers and HR or finance professionals who oversee safety, including Dublin offices, workshops, hospitality and service firms.

A note on the legal base. Noise at work is regulated by Chapter 1 of Part 5 (Regulations 120 to 132) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299 of 2007), made under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) guide to that chapter, published in December 2007, says it replaced the earlier Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 371 of 2006) from 1 November 2007. The figures below come from the 2007 Regulations as published on the Law Reform Commission's Revised Acts site, and from HSA guidance.

The exposure values in Regulation 123

Regulation 123 sets two kinds of value: daily noise exposure (LEX,8h, an eight-hour time-weighted average in dB(A)) and peak sound pressure (in dB(C)). The text on the Revised Acts page gives:

Two details matter when you compare readings to these values. First, when applying the limit value, the employer must take account of the attenuation of any hearing protectors the employee wears; when applying the action values, the protectors are ignored. Second, where daily exposure varies markedly from day to day, Regulation 123 allows the weekly noise exposure level to be used instead, provided adequate monitoring shows it does not exceed 87 dB(A) and appropriate measures are taken to keep the risk to a minimum. Regulation 120 defines the weekly level as an average of daily levels over a standard five-day week of eight-hour days. The Law Reform Commission's revised text was shown as updated to 24 May 2023, so check the Irish Statute Book for later amendments before relying on the figures.

Step one: assess the risk

Regulation 124 applies where an employee is liable to be exposed above the lower exposure action value. The employer must carry out a suitable and appropriate risk assessment, in consultation with employees or their representatives, and measure noise levels where necessary. The assessment and any sampling must be planned and carried out competently, at suitable intervals. Among the things the Regulation says to pay particular attention to are:

• the level, type and duration of exposure, including impulsive noise;
• employees at particular risk;
• the combined effects of noise with ototoxic substances and with vibration;
• warning signals and manufacturers' noise information;
• quieter equipment alternatives, work beyond normal hours and the availability of hearing protectors with adequate attenuation; and
• information from health surveillance.

The findings must be recorded in the safety statement as soon as practicable, together with the steps taken to comply with Regulations 125 to 130, and the assessment must be reviewed at suitable intervals and when the triggers in section 19(3) of the 2005 Act arise. For the wider process, see our guide to the safety statement and risk assessment under the 2005 Act. The HSA workplace health toolkit offers a rule of thumb for a first look: if it is hard to hear a person talking at a distance of two metres, the workplace is likely to be noisy. It adds that measurement is done with a noise meter and that interpreting results can need expert help.

Step two: reduce noise at source

Regulation 125 requires the employer, following the general principles of prevention and consulting employees, to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable that the risk from noise is eliminated at source or reduced to a minimum. The measures it lists for consideration include alternative work methods, choosing the quietest suitable equipment, designing workplaces and workstations to reduce noise, training employees to use equipment correctly, technical controls (barriers, enclosures and absorbing materials for airborne noise; damping or isolation for structure-borne noise), regular maintenance, and work organisation such as limiting duration and intensity of exposure and scheduling adequate rest breaks. Where rest facilities are provided, noise in them must be kept at a level suitable for their purpose. Measures must also be adapted for employees at particular risk.

Above the upper exposure action value, Regulation 126 requires the employer to establish and implement a programme of technical or organisational measures, or both, aimed at reducing exposure. Regulation 127 adds that where a risk assessment finds workstations where employees are likely to be exposed above 85 dB(A), the employer must display mandatory warning signs and keep unauthorised people away, using barriers or other measures that are technically feasible and proportionate to the risk.

The limit value and what happens if it is exceeded

Under Regulation 128, employees must not be exposed above the exposure limit value. If, despite the measures taken, exposure above it is detected, the employer must take immediate action to bring exposure below the limit, identify why it was exceeded, and amend the organisational and technical measures so it is not exceeded again. A practical approach: treat any reading near 87 dB(A) as a trigger for an immediate review rather than waiting for the next scheduled assessment.

Hearing protection

Hearing protectors are a back-up, not a substitute for controlling noise at source. Regulation 129 sets out the duties:

• Where risks cannot be prevented by other means, the employer must provide hearing protectors that fit properly and are suitable.
• Individual hearing protectors must be provided where exposure is above the lower exposure action value, chosen after consulting employees or their representatives.
• Employees whose exposure is at or above the upper exposure action value must wear them, and the employer must, so far as reasonably practicable, ensure they are used and that the measures work.

The HSA toolkit adds practical points: protectors should be stored properly and cleaned under a maintenance programme; the choice between earmuffs and earplugs depends on noise levels, the work and the individual; disposable earplugs should not be shared; and over-protection can make communication difficult. The Authority may, in exceptional cases and by written certificate, exempt a person or class from Regulations 128 and 129 where wearing protectors would be more dangerous than not wearing them (Regulation 132). Any exemption can last up to 4 years and comes with conditions, including suitable health surveillance.

Information, training and consultation

Regulation 130 applies to employees exposed at or above the lower exposure action value. Information and training must be suitable and sufficient and must cover the risks from noise, the measures taken under Regulation 125, the limit and action values, the results of the assessment and what they mean, correct use of hearing protectors, how to recognise and report signs of hearing damage, when health surveillance is available and why, and safe working practices. Employers must also consult employees on the assessment, control measures and choice of protectors. How noise training fits alongside other safety training is covered in our overview of HSA training requirements.

Health surveillance

Regulation 131 requires suitable health monitoring for employees whose risk assessment shows a risk to health. For noise, employees exposed above the upper exposure action value must be offered a hearing check by a registered medical practitioner (or someone working under their responsibility), and employees exposed above the lower exposure action value must be offered preventive audiometric testing. The employer must keep a health record for each employee under surveillance, give employees access to their own record on request, and give copies to the HSA on request. If an employer stops trading, it must notify the HSA in writing straight away and make the records available.

The HSA guidelines on hearing checks and audiometry say the first test should be made available within 12 months of exposure above the lower action value, and that a pre-employment baseline test is preferable. For employees with acceptable hearing, the guidelines say a second screen should follow within a year and then tests at intervals of no more than five years, reduced to three years where the upper action value is exceeded and to one year above 95 dB LEX; a three-yearly minimum is recommended. Mild impairment is often retested every two years, and poorer categories usually annually. These are guideline intervals, not wording from the Regulations. If hearing damage is identified and a registered medical practitioner finds it likely to have been caused by work noise, Regulation 131 requires the employer to review the risk assessment and control measures and to consider advice from the practitioner, another suitably qualified person or the HSA, including reassigning the employee to work with no further exposure.

A practical checklist

• Map noisy areas and tasks, including impulsive noise from tools, and measure where the two-metre test suggests a problem.
• Record the assessment in the safety statement and set a review date.
• Our suggestion: work through controls roughly in this order: quieter equipment and maintenance, then enclosures and layout, then rest breaks, with hearing protection as a back-up.
• Put up signs and restrict access in areas likely to exceed 85 dB(A).
• Arrange training and, where required, health surveillance, and keep health records secure and confidential.
• If an HSA inspector is not satisfied, the enforcement powers are covered in our guide to improvement and prohibition notices.

Learnsignal's offices are off Baggot Street in Dublin, and we offer in-person training from there. For current details, see our CPD pages.

Frequently asked questions

What noise level triggers a risk assessment in Ireland?

Regulation 124 applies where an employee is liable to be exposed above the lower exposure action value, which Regulation 123 sets at 80 dB(A) daily exposure or 135 dB(C) peak sound pressure.

Is hearing protection compulsory?

Employers must provide it above the lower action value. Employees whose exposure is at or above the upper action value (85 dB(A) or 137 dB(C) peak) must wear it, under Regulation 129.

Can hearing protection be used to get below the action values?

No. Regulation 123 says the action values apply regardless of any protector attenuation, although attenuation is taken into account when applying the limit value.

Who pays for audiometric testing?

The pages we read say employers must offer or make available the testing, but do not address cost in terms. If this matters, check the Regulations and HSA guidance directly or take advice.

Are there different rules for Dublin employers?

No. The Regulations are national and apply in the same way to employers anywhere in Ireland.

Noise is easier to control when it is designed out early, so use your next risk assessment review to check every noisy task against the three values above.