Initiative launched to encourage quieter workplaces

Date: Wednesday 17 March 2010

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new initiative to encourage manufacturers to make quieter machinery, and businesses to use it, in a bid to reduce noise-related ill health in the workplace.

The HSE says that 170,000 people in the UK suffer deafness, tinnitus or other ear conditions as a result of exposure to excessive noise at work.

The safety watchdog's "Buy Quiet" campaign is about getting everyone with an interest — manufacturers, suppliers, employers, unions, insurers and consultants — to look at what they can do to reduce the risk. The HSE is particularly keen to foster closer relationships with manufacturers to see how noise reductions can be made at source.

An event to mark the beginning of the campaign was recently held in early March 2010, where relevant businesses and organisations could discuss their ideas and experiences. The workshop focused on:

• information on the legal requirements associated with noise emissions
• the commercial considerations of producing low-noise machinery
• help for employers to identify and manage risks of exposure to excessive noise in the workplace.

The HSE's Sarah Haynes, HM Inspector of Health and Safety (Noise and Vibration) said: "Noise-related ill health can have a devastating impact on workers and their families, and Buy Quiet is about exploring ideas and sharing information about what can be done to reduce the risks…HSE will continue to engage with industry to raise awareness of potential benefits, both health and commercial, of low noise machinery production."