Abstract
Machinery supplied within the European Economic Area must comply with the noise requirements of Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. Machine manufacturers must reduce noise to the lowest level achievable and provide noise emission data so people can use their products without risk from noise. Declared noise emissions should help purchasers and users identify low or lower noise machinery and provide information that can be used to develop a noise risk assessment. Purchasing quieter machinery is an effective way to avoid risk from occupational exposure to high noise. It also minimises the cost and effort needed to control any remaining noise risk. Effective selection of machinery, however, on the basis of the declared noise emissions is dependent on a number of factors including: (a) The availability of competing machinery with significantly different noise risk. (b) Manufacturers’ declared noise emissions that are indicative of actual noise risk. (c) Purchasers who understand the declared noise emissions and other information describing noise risk. A preliminary market surveillance exercise across Europe found that compliance with the noise requirements of the Machinery Directive is very poor; noise information provided in 80 % of machinery instructions did not comply. Investigations of a small number of harmonised noise test codes identified a range of problems that limit the usefulness of the declared noise emissions to rank the noise of competing machinery and identify real use noise risk. Insufficient support is in place to help purchasers who want to “buy quiet”. To buy quiet in today’s market purchasers need a high level of understanding of noise and noise control and must have a high degree of determination to achieve noise control in their workplace. Purchasers who successfully buy quiet seek out quieter machines and critically review the noise information supplied with them, which is often flawed. Such purchasers sometimes need to write, and check conformity with, their own specification for noise. It is likely purchasers would have more success in buying quiet if: (a) More manufacturers complied with the noise requirements of the Machinery Directive. (b) The standards supplementing the noise requirements of the Machinery Directive were more reliable. (c) The availability of quieter equipment was more widely publicised.
Highlights
In recent decades, the introduction of new working practices and modern machinery into British industry has resulted in reduced occupational noise exposure
This paper describes the experience gained by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in recent years concerning the potential for purchasers to buy quiet as a means of reducing the risks associated with exposure to workplace noise
In this paper declared noise emissions refer to the emission sound pressure level, peak C-weighted instantaneous sound pressure value and/or sound power level required by the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (MD) or the guaranteed sound power level required by the Outdoor Noise Directive 2000/14/EC (OND)
Summary
The introduction of new working practices and modern machinery into British industry has resulted in reduced occupational noise exposure. Manufacturers must minimise noise risk and provide noise information, including emission. Purchasing quieter machinery is an effective way to avoid risk from occupational exposure to high noise. It minimises the cost and effort required to control remaining noise risk. Purchasers who understand the declared noise emissions and other information describing noise risk. Availability of information showing significant differences in the noise risk of competing machines, so purchasers have a genuine choice to buy quiet. Success of noise test codes in producing declared noise emissions that are credible indicators of actual risk for typical use(s) of the machine. Performance of manufacturers in meeting their legal duties to provide noise information that helps workers use machinery without risk from noise.
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