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• 1. What is noise?
• 2. Responsibilities
• 3. Noise assessments
• 4. How should noise be managed?
• 5. What are noise control measures?
  • 5.1 Elimination - new plant and workplaces
  • 5.2 Engineering controls - existing plant and workplaces
  • 5.3 Administrative noise control measures
  • 5.4 Personal hearing protectors
• 6. Audiometric testing
• Appendix 1 - extract from the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 1997
• Appendix 2 – Obligations under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995
• Appendix 3 – Noise hazard identification checklist
• Appendix 4 – Instruments for assessing noise levels
• Appendix 5 – Guidance material
• Appendix 6 – Ototoxins
• Appendix 7 – Acoustic shock
• Appendix 8 – Dictionary

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5.1 Elimination - new plant and workplaces

There are several cost-effective noise control measures a person can use when buying new plant or setting up a new workplace. These include the design of the installation area and the design and construction of the new workplace.

Invitations to tender for the supply of new plant should specify a maximum acceptable level of noise emission. If plant is to be purchased directly, without tender, noise emission data should be obtained from suppliers to enable the plant with the lowest possible noise level to be selected. Guidance for designers, manufacturers, importers, and suppliers of plant on the presentation of information about noise levels emitted by plant is provided in appendix 5.

New workplaces and installation sites for new plant in existing workplaces should be designed and constructed to ensure exposure to noise is as low as possible. If new plant is likely to expose persons to excessive noise, design features should include engineering noise control measures. These measures can reduce noise to as low a level as possible.

Plant should be designed to prevent or minimise any risks to health or safety resulting from the emission of noise. Where plant is to be designed for a particular workplace, designers should:

• obtain agreement with the client on goals for noise reduction, be aware of the noise control policy for the workplace and set up a budget that will allow for effective noise controls at the design stage;
• consider the effect on overall noise levels of building reverberation¹⁴, the building layout and the location of workstations relative to plant;
• consider the transmission of noise through structures and ducts;
• design for acoustical plant rooms and control rooms where appropriate;
• design acoustic treatments for external environment control in a way that will reduce internal noise and design acoustic treatments for internal environment control in a way that will reduce external noise;
• design plant to eliminate or control any risks to the hearing or health of persons resulting from noise emissions.

¹⁴ 'reverberation' means the persistence, by echo or reflection, of sound in an enclosure after the emission by the source has stopped.

Last updated 21 August 2008

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© The State of Queensland (Department of Employment and Industrial Relations) 2008.
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