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Work Health and Safety (Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work) Code of Practice 2015

made under the

Work Health and Safety Act 2011, section 274 (Approved Codes of Practice)

1 Name of instrument

This instrument is the Work Health and Safety (Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work) Code of Practice 2015.

2 Commencement

This instrument commences on the day after it is registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.

3 Code of Practice Approval

I approve the Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work Code of Practice. I am satisfied that this code of practice was developed by a process described in section 274(2) of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

Michaelia Cash
Minister for Employment

17 December 2015

Date

MANAGING NOISE AND
PREVENTING HEARING
LOSS AT WORK

Code of Practice

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD                                             5
     1. INTRODUCTION                                      6
         1.       Who has health and safety duties in relation to noise?                        6
         2.       The meaning of key terms                                          6
         3.       What is required to manage the risks of hearing loss?                        7
     2. NOISE AND ITS EFFECT ON HEALTH AND SAFETY                    9
         1.       How does hearing loss occur?                                             9
         2.       How much noise is too much?                                             9
         3.       Other effects of noise                                              10
     3. HOW TO identify the hazards                          12
    3.1  How to find noise hazards                                            12
    3.2  What happens next?                                               13
    4.             HOW TO ASSESS THE RISKS                             14
    4.1  When should a risk assessment be conducted?                             14
    4.2  Who can do a noise assessment?                                      14
    4.3  How should a noise assessment be done?                                14
    4.4.  What information should be included in a noise assessment report?                15
    5.  HOW TO CONTROL THE RISKS                             16
    5.1  The hierarchy of risk control                                          16
    5.2  Substituting plant or processes to reduce noise                              16
    5.3  Using engineering controls                                           17
    5.4  Isolating the source of noise                                          17
    5.5  Using administrative controls                                         18
    5.6  Using personal hearing protectors                                      19
    5.7  Audiometric testing                                                21
    5.8  Information, training and instruction                                     22
    5.9  Implementing and maintaining control measures                             22
    6.  HOW TO REVIEW CONTROL MEASURES                       24
    7.  ROLE OF DESIGNERS, MANUFACTURERS, SUPPLIERS AND
      INSTALLERS                                         25
    7.1  Designers                                                       25
    7.2  Manufacturers                                                   27
    7.3  Suppliers and importers                                             28
    7.4  Installers                                                       28
    7.5  What information should be provided to potential users?                       28
Appendix A – other Causes OF Hearing Loss in the workplace     30
APPENDIX B – NOISE HAZARD IDENTIFICATION CHECKLIST             35
APPENDIX C – READY RECKONER                              36
Appendix D – Contents of a noise assessment report           41
Appendix E – engineering CONTROL MEASURES                 42

FOREWORD
This Code of Practice for managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work is an approved code of practice under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act (the WHS