Weve been looking at the new Noist at Work law and are worried that we need to do something.

So we contacted out headset supplier and they said that we didn't need to - the headset was fully compliant with the law. Is this really true? If so whats everyone worried about?

try www.acousticshock.org

All your Q's A'd

Dave,

They are correct (probably). Their headset must comply with the law. More likely, regulations, but that's a different subject.

But is that the only issue?

Every employer has a primary duty of care to protect its staff from 'known' risks under the Health and Safety at Work Act. It's common law.

The headset manufacturer doesn't employ the client telephonist.

The employer however, could take issue with the headset manufacturer for not ensuring the user is protected from 'known' risks (like acoustic shock which occurs and causes serious symptoms sub-legal db limitations). But that's like saying the tabaconist should sue the cigarette manufacturer for killing his client!

But then again, perhaps the headset manufacturer doesn't purport to provide anything else other than a sound delivery medium. Your company buys its products base on specification and merit that meets it's needs. If you want protection, then buy a protection device, it's that simple. There are several new devices on the market now that you should look at.

Its a complex issue. We all need to work together, which is what the Acoustic Safety Programme is encouraging.

Sincerely,
David

Dear Dave, you raise a very valid point. Why not headsets only? At present the CE standard for all headsets provides for a protection being built into the headset at 118dBA. This is often called acoustic shock protection. However, whilst the manufacturers state then that headsets comply, it is widely reported that acoustic shocks can occur at volume levels way below this cut off.
This is where you need to be careful.

The current regs are very focused on volume. However you do not need to read very far to understand that acoustic shock incidents are more associated with specific tones and frequency in the signal rather than just volume. There are a range of solutions out there that offer a range of protection. The challenge is choosing the right one.

If for example you choose a simple noise limiter solution you may find that you have to replace that later to a solution that has both noise limiting and shriek rejection capability. Some solutions are already being returned as being useless so take the time to discover more before commiting to headset only solutions.

As a health and safety man the simple rules still apply. Conduct a thorough risk assessment. Educate and train and encourage reporting. Adopt a well thought out solution that meets the needs of you and your staff and satisfies the findings of the risk assessment. Continue to review the risk assessment moving forward.

Regards

Paul Jenkins