The Noise at Work Regulations 1989

UK Statutory Instrument 1989 No. 1790 — creates 1 criminal offence.

Made

2 October 1989

In force from

1 January 1990

Extent

Not stated

Subject

Health and safety, environment, waste and fisheries

Made under

Schedule 3 to, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations) — published with the instrument by the department that made it. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

These Regulations give effect as respects Great Britain to provisions of Council Directive 86/188/EEC (OJ No. L137, 24.5.86, p.28) on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to noise at work. The Regulations– a impose requirements on employers with respect to the making and review of noise assessments (regulation 4); b impose requirements on employers with respect to the keeping of records of noise assessments and reviews thereof (regulation 5); c impose requirements on employers with respect to the reduction of risk of damage to the hearing of their employees from exposure to noise (regulation 6); d impose requirements on employers with respect to the reduction of exposure to noise of their employees (regulation 7); e impose requirements on employers with respect to the provision to their employees of personal ear protectors (regulation 8); f impose requirements on employers with respect to the marking of, and entry of their employees into, ear protection zones (regulation 9); g impose requirements on employers and employees with respect to the use and maintenance of equipment provided by employers pursuant to the provisions of the Regulations (regulation 10); h impose requirements on employers with respect to the provision of information, instruction and training to such of their employees as are likely to be exposed to specified noise levels (regulation 11); i modify section 6(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (c. 37) (general duties of designers, etc., of articles for use at work and articles of fairground equipment) so that any duty imposed by that subsection includes in specified circumstances a duty to provide certain information relating to noise generation (regulation 12); j provide for the issue of certificates of exemption by the Health and Safety Executive and the Secretary of State for Defence (regulations 13 and 14 respectively); and k revoke regulation 44 of the Woodworking Machines Regulations 1974 (S.I. 1974/903) (regulation 15). The duties imposed by the Regulations do not (in the circumstances specified in regulation 3(a)) extend to the masters and crews of sea-going ships or to their employers; nor do they (in the circumstances specified in regulation 3(b)) extend to the crews of aircraft and hovercraft or to other persons on board such craft.

Offences created by this instrument

• Contravention of The Noise at Work Regulations 1989 the instrument as a whole · Status not determined · Strict liability

What Parliament said about it

Contributions, debates and written statements mentioning this instrument by name. Parliamentary material is reused under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

• Noise Levels (Work) Commons · Commons Chamber · 24 March 1999 · Mr. Michael Clapham (Barnsley, West and Penistone)

  I am pleased to have secured the debate because, although this may not be the sexiest of subjects, tens of thousands of workers are exposed to excessive noise levels every day. I am also pleased that the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, my hon. Friend the Member for Mansfield(Mr. Meale), is to respond. I know that before becoming a Member of Parliament he worked in industry, and that at one point he was a workers safety representative. He would have been appointed under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977, which were…

• Industrial Deafness Commons · Westminster Hall · 14 June 2000 · Mr. Bayley

  I am afraid that I cannot advise on an individual case without knowing all the circumstances. I can only advise on the law. The Government believe that noise induced hearing loss caused by work is a serious and significant occupational health problem. As my hon. Friend said, exposure levels for many workers remain considerable: the Health and Safety Executive estimates that more than 1.25 million people in nearly 90,000 workplaces continue to be exposed to noise levels that could damage their hearing. There is no excuse for anyone's hearing to be impaired owing to loud noise at work. There…

• Industrial Deafness Commons · Westminster Hall · 14 June 2000 · Mr. Martin Salter (Reading, West)

  I welcome the opportunity to bring the case of my constituent, Mr. James Fryer, of Purley in Reading, to the attention of the Chamber. Sadly, due to ill health, Mr. Fryer cannot be here to witness the results of his four-year struggle to obtain industrial injuries disablement benefit. However, it is obvious to me that there is a clear case for the legislation surrounding the IIDB qualifying criteria to be reviewed by the Government. I want briefly to outline the history of my constituent's case. As my hon. Friend the Minister and hon. Members will know, to qualify for IIDB the claimant must…

• Deafened Service Veterans Commons · Westminster Hall · 12 June 2007 · The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Derek Twigg)

  It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship again, Miss Begg. I thank my neighbour, my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, South (Mr. O’Hara), for raising this topic, and congratulate him on having, as usual, set out the issues clearly and concisely. I know that he is a solid campaigner on such issues and takes great interest in health matters generally. I congratulate him on securing the debate and appreciate the opportunity to respond to his points and to speak about the outstanding contribution of those who have served and continue to serve in the armed forces. The Government…

How Parliament handled it

Parliament's Statutory Instruments service records procedure from May 2017 onwards, and this instrument predates it. That is a limit of the source, not a statement that nothing happened.

Check the source

• This instrument on legislation.gov.uk The authoritative text, including amendments made since
• Other instruments from 1989