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- Risk assessment: Noise and vibrations
Risk assessment with experts: Avoid health hazards caused by noise and vibrations in the workplace.
We all know the situation: you urgently need to complete an important task. At the same time, the jackhammer on the construction site next door "drills" into your ear canals and also causes your desk to vibrate with its vibrations. Concentration is lost and headaches and fatigue are often the result.
It is far worse for people who are constantly exposed to the stress of noise and vibrations in the vicinity of machines and in production halls, for example. In terms of occupational health and safety, legislation therefore also requires companies to carry out risk assessments in this area in order to protect employees from damage to their health.
It is estimated that around 5 million workers in Germany are exposed to noise that is harmful to their hearing - in the case of prolonged exposure to noise or impulsive noise such as loud hammer blows in metalworking. Excessive and unprotected noise exposure can result in permanent hearing threshold shifts (hearing loss). This process is usually gradual and initially goes unnoticed.
Long-term health problems caused by vibrations, for example when operating machinery, include bone and joint damage, circulatory disorders and diseases of the nervous system.
Noise and vibration measurements are therefore now an integral part of risk assessments in companies. This is based on the Noise and Vibration Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance (LärmVibrationsArbSchV) and the Technical Rules on Noise and Vibration (TRLV).
Check with the Infraserv specialists!
Are your employees' health at risk from noise and vibrations? Do you know all the relevant regulatory requirements? Do you need structured, expert support in conducting mandatory risk assessments?
The seven steps of a noise and vibration risk assessment
With Infraserv Höchst's experts, you'll do everything right in your risk assessment and won't run the risk of overlooking important aspects required by law.
You benefit from our extensive experience: Infraserv Höchst is the operator of Industriepark Höchst and conducts a large number of risk assessments at its own and third-party facilities every year. Our experts take a highly structured approach and use proven checklists that are continually updated to reflect current legislation and operational conditions.
In addition to the area of noise and vibration, we support you in all areas in which regular risk assessments are required – from plant and machine safety , laboratory operations and hazardous substances to biological substances and the mental health of your employees.
Risk assessment for noise and vibration
1. Define areas of responsibility and activities
Reliable and "watertight" noise and vibration measurement results can only be obtained if they are performed by appropriately trained specialists in accordance with clearly defined, generally binding rules.
Infraserv strictly adheres to the requirements set forth in the relevant regulations for a professional assessment. The first step in a job analysis is to determine what tasks and activities employees perform and whether they may be exposed to noise and vibrations.
2. Identify hazards and assess risks
We measure noise and vibrations where they enter the body – for example, noise directly at ear level and vibrations on the palm of the hand or the sole of the shoe. We then create profiles of the affected employees and their respective activities to find out how long people are exposed to noise, vibrations and oscillations.
Vibration measurements include whole-body vibrations (WBV), for example when sitting, and hand-arm vibrations (HAV), which occur when using drills and pneumatic hammers, for example.
The measurements are carried out during all relevant activities of a normal working day in order to determine a daily noise exposure level or an overall vibration exposure value. If this exceeds the requirements of the LärmVibrationsArbSchV, we will work with you to develop measures to minimize the risk to your employees.
3. Determine suitable protective measures
The measures that need to be taken to protect the health of your employees also depend on the intensity of the measured noise and vibration exposure. Possible options are:
- Improving vibration damping in vehicles, e.g. through seat suspension, shock absorbers or tires
- Use of damping mats
- Use of low-vibration machines or replacement of highly vibrating components (handles, vibrating seats, etc.)
- Use of personal protective equipment such as anti-vibration gloves or vibration protection shoes
- Reducing the duration of work on vibrating machines
- Further changes to work processes
- Implementation of noise reduction measures, e.g. sound insulation, soundproof cabins, soundproof curtains or sound-absorbing absorption surfaces
- Use of quieter machines
- Reducing the duration of work on machines with high noise exposure
4. Implement measures
Clear priorities are set during planning: Those measures that promise the greatest success in reducing noise and vibrations come first. It is important to involve the workforce and provide transparent information about all steps.
5. Checking the effectiveness of the measures taken
The effectiveness of the measures taken to reduce noise and vibration pollution is continuously reviewed so that improvements can be made if necessary.
6. Updating the risk assessment
Noise and vibration measurements are a continuous process. This is because new issues arise with every change to the system configuration or work processes. The vibration behavior of machines also changes over the course of the product life cycle. This is why risk assessment remains a continuous process.
7. Documentation as the basis for future risk assessments
Documenting all potential noise and vibration hazards to which employees are exposed during their work provides the basis for sustainably improved and healthier working conditions.
Infraserv Höchst is your partner for all types of risk assessments
We will be happy to help you prepare and expertly conduct risk assessments in all areas of your company.
