The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 Explained
Ask most employers what noise level requires action on a factory floor and you'll get a shrug. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 don't leave it vague. They set three precise thresholds, each triggering a specific, legally enforceable duty, and knowing which one your workplace sits at determines what you're actually required to do next.
The three thresholds
The regulations, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, define exposure in terms of an eight-hour daily average, expressed in dB(A):
- 80 dB(A), the lower exposure action value. At this point, employers must assess the risk and provide employees with information and training about the noise they're exposed to and how to protect their hearing.
- 85 dB(A), the upper exposure action value. Hearing protection becomes mandatory, and employers must take reasonably practicable steps to reduce exposure through means other than PPE, engineering controls first.
- 87 dB(A), the exposure limit value. This is measured at the ear, accounting for any hearing protection worn, and it must never be exceeded. There's no discretion at this level.
Why engineering controls come before ear defenders
The regulations are explicit that hearing protection is a last resort, not a first response. Employers are expected to consider engineering controls, absorptive treatment, enclosures, source isolation, before relying on PPE to bring exposure down. This matters practically as well as legally: hearing protection only works if it's worn correctly and consistently, and compliance rates on a busy production floor are rarely as high as anyone assumes.
Why the daily average matters more than the peak
Noise-induced hearing loss is cumulative. It builds from repeated exposure over years, not from a single loud moment, which is exactly why the regulations measure an eight-hour daily average rather than just flagging obviously dangerous peaks. A floor that never feels shockingly loud can still sit above 85 dB(A) averaged across a shift, and that's the figure that matters for compliance and for the workforce's long-term hearing.
How acoustic treatment reduces exposure
Absorptive, impact-resistant panels and baffles fitted around existing plant lower the overall reflected noise on a working floor, bringing the ambient level down without enclosing every individual machine. For many sites this is a more practical and more affordable route to compliance than isolating each piece of equipment separately, and it improves the working environment for everyone on the floor, not just the people nearest the loudest machine.
Common questions
What happens if we exceed 87 dB(A) at the ear? That's the exposure limit value, and it must not be exceeded under any circumstances, including with hearing protection factored in. Immediate corrective action is required.
Do these regulations apply to office environments? They apply to any workplace where noise exposure could reach the action values, which is uncommon in a standard office but relevant in industrial, production and some hospitality settings.
Getting your workplace assessed
See our guide to industrial noise control or book a free survey to get a proper exposure assessment measured against these thresholds, not a walk-through guess.
Related product guides: industrial acoustic panels.
From first survey to final finish
One team handles all seven stages, the same way on every project, so you always know what happens next.
A surveyor visits the site, or works from your drawings and photos when a visit isn't practical. Either way, the room, its surfaces and how it is used are recorded before any advice is given.
Reverberation, ambient noise and noise transfer are read against what the space is used for. The findings arrive as a written report with recommendations, yours to keep with no obligation to proceed.
Treatment is modelled against a reverberation target, then drawn up with panel positions, fixings and finishes. Nothing moves forward until you have approved the design.
Every quotation comes with the specification behind it, listing products by type, quantity and finish with costs set out line by line. What is quoted is what the design calls for.
Panels, baffles, ceilings and screens come from our Acoustic Solutions range and are supplied to the approved specification. What arrives on site matches what was designed.
Our own engineers fit to the approved drawings, checking positions and fixings as they go. One team supplies and installs, so nothing is handed between contractors.
Optional: after fit-out the space can be measured again and compared with the original survey, so the improvement is measured rather than assumed. Results are reported against the relevant standards and the written record goes into your building file.
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