Noise at Work Regulations UK — Hearing Protection and Noise Control for Construction (2026)

Why noise matters in construction

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the second most common occupational disease reported in the UK, after musculoskeletal disorders. Unlike a broken bone, it is permanent and irreversible — there is no treatment that restores damaged hearing. The HSE estimates that 17,000 workers in the construction industry suffer from deafness, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), or other ear conditions directly caused by their work.

The scale of that figure is particularly troubling because every single case is preventable. Construction workers are exposed to some of the highest noise levels in any UK industry — yet noise is consistently treated as a background irritant rather than a serious occupational hazard. The law is clear, the controls are well-established, and the cost of inaction is a workforce progressively losing its hearing.

Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 replaced the earlier Noise at Work Regulations 1989 and implement the EU Physical Agents (Noise) Directive into UK law. They apply to all workplaces in Great Britain, including construction sites, and impose duties on both employers and the self-employed.

The key legal requirements are:

• Risk assessment: identify which work activities and tools generate significant noise exposure, assess who is at risk, and record the findings
• Eliminate or reduce noise at source: before reaching for ear defenders, employers must first try to remove the noise or reduce it through engineering and organisational controls
• Exposure action values: specific decibel thresholds that trigger mandatory duties — explained in detail below
• Exposure limit values: an absolute ceiling that must never be exceeded, accounting for the protection provided by hearing protection equipment
• Hearing protection zones: areas where noise regularly exceeds 85 dB(A) must be demarcated and signed
• Health surveillance (audiometry): regular hearing tests for workers regularly exposed above the Upper Exposure Action Value

Exposure action values and limit values

The regulations set out three thresholds. All are expressed as a daily or weekly personal noise exposure level (LEP,d or LEP,w) averaged across a working day or week — not as a single instantaneous reading.

• Lower Exposure Action Value (Lower EAV) — 80 dB(A): at or above this level, the employer must carry out a noise risk assessment, provide workers with information and training about the risks and controls, and make hearing protection available on request. The worker can choose whether to wear it.
• Upper Exposure Action Value (Upper EAV) — 85 dB(A): at or above this level, the employer must provide hearing protection and workers must wear it. Hearing protection zones must be established. Health surveillance (regular audiometry) is required for workers regularly exposed at this level.
• Exposure Limit Value (ELV) — 87 dB(A): this is an absolute ceiling that must never be exceeded. Crucially, the ELV is calculated after taking into account the attenuation provided by hearing protection equipment — meaning a worker wearing effective ear defenders with a high SNR rating can work in louder environments without breaching the limit value, provided the protection is correctly fitted and worn consistently.

The regulations also include a peak sound pressure limit of 140 dB(C) (Lower EAV) and 137 dB(C) (Upper EAV) for impulse noise — relevant for nail guns, cartridge tools, and explosive-actuated devices.

How loud are common construction tools

Most construction tools exceed the Upper EAV of 85 dB(A) within minutes of sustained use. Typical noise levels from common site equipment:

• Angle grinder: 100–105 dB(A)
• Breaker / jackhammer: 100–110 dB(A)
• Circular saw: 105–110 dB(A)
• Concrete mixer: 85–90 dB(A)
• Nail gun: 110–115 dB(A) peak
• Table saw: 95–110 dB(A)

Because decibels are logarithmic, a 3 dB increase doubles the amount of sound energy reaching the ear. At 85 dB(A), a worker has approximately 8 hours before the Upper EAV is exceeded. At 100 dB(A) — the level of a typical angle grinder — that safe window is around 15 minutes. Running a breaker for a full morning without hearing protection may represent the equivalent of years of gradual exposure damage compressed into a single shift.

The noise risk assessment

Every employer on a construction site must carry out a noise risk assessment where there is a likelihood that workers are exposed at or above the Lower EAV. The assessment must be reviewed when conditions change and repeated at suitable intervals. It should cover:

• Which tools, plant, and tasks generate significant noise on site
• How long workers are exposed to each noise source during a typical shift
• Who is at risk — including visiting workers, subbies, and bystanders
• Existing controls already in place and how effective they are
• The residual risk after controls are applied and whether it is adequately reduced

The HSE provides an online Construction Noise Calculator that uses published noise emission data for specific tools and exposure durations to estimate daily noise exposure without the need for a full measurement survey. This is acceptable for most routine assessments. Where noise levels are complex, highly variable, or where a previous assessment suggests levels may be close to the ELV, a specialist noise measurement survey by an occupational hygienist is the appropriate route.

Hierarchy of noise control

The regulations require employers to reduce noise exposure using a hierarchy of controls, working from the top down before resorting to hearing protection:

• Elimination: can the noisy task be designed out entirely? Prefabricating components off-site, specifying quieter construction methods, or using adhesives instead of mechanical fixings can remove noise at source before the site even starts.
• Substitution: replace noisy plant or tools with quieter alternatives. Electric tools are typically significantly quieter than their compressed-air equivalents — an electric breaker often runs 5–10 dB(A) quieter than a pneumatic one, which can double or quadruple the safe working time.
• Engineering controls: enclose noisy plant in acoustic cabinets, maintain tools so worn blades and bearings do not generate excess noise, use anti-vibration mounts to reduce structure-borne noise, and partition noisy work areas from the rest of the site.
• Administrative controls: rotate workers between noisy and quiet tasks to limit individual exposure duration, schedule the noisiest operations for times when the fewest workers are present, and keep workers out of noisy areas unless their presence is essential.
• Hearing protection equipment (HPE): the last resort in the hierarchy, not the first response. Hearing protection should be used to top up protection where engineering and administrative controls have reduced but not eliminated the risk — never as a substitute for those controls.

Hearing protection equipment

Where hearing protection is required, selecting the right type and ensuring it is correctly worn are both critical. The SNR (Single Number Rating) on packaging indicates how many decibels of attenuation the protector provides under ideal laboratory conditions — real-world attenuation is typically lower due to fit, condition, and wearer behaviour.

• Ear defenders (earmuffs): provide consistent attenuation and are easy to don and doff. Check the seal around the ear cup regularly — spectacles, hair, and earrings all degrade the seal and reduce effective attenuation. Defenders must be checked for cracked cups, deteriorated foam seals, and weakened headbands at each issue.
• Disposable foam plugs: SNR typically 27–37 dB. Effective attenuation depends entirely on correct insertion — the plug must be rolled down, inserted deeply, and held while it expands. Incorrect insertion can reduce effective attenuation to near zero. Useful for occasional short-duration use; not ideal where workers repeatedly need to remove them.
• Pre-moulded plugs: reusable, easier to insert correctly than foam plugs, and more hygienic for regular use.
• Custom-moulded plugs: made from impressions of the individual's ear canal by an audiologist. Best comfort and most consistent attenuation for workers regularly exposed to high noise levels — the preferred option for long-term, heavy-exposure users.

Do not over-protect. Selecting hearing protection with a very high SNR in moderately noisy environments can cut out so much sound that workers cannot hear colleagues or site warnings, creating a different safety risk. Match the SNR to the actual noise level present.

Health surveillance (audiometry)

Health surveillance is a legal requirement under the 2005 regulations for all workers who are regularly exposed at or above the Upper EAV of 85 dB(A). The purpose is to detect early signs of noise-induced hearing loss before it becomes severe and to take action to prevent further deterioration.

• Baseline audiogram: carried out at or before commencement of employment in a noisy role, to establish the worker's starting point
• Periodic testing: at least every three years for workers exposed between the Lower and Upper EAV; at least every year for workers regularly exposed above the Upper EAV or where a previous test has shown hearing deterioration
• Records: audiometry records must be kept for a minimum of 40 years, as hearing loss can take decades to manifest and claims can arise long after employment has ended
• Referral: where a test indicates significant hearing change, the worker must be referred to a doctor or specialist. Further investigation, a review of controls, and possible redeployment may follow

Health surveillance is typically provided through an occupational health provider. SEHHP (Sensory Enhancement Health and Hearing Protection) programmes offer structured audiometry and advice for construction employers. The cost is modest compared with the liability exposure of an undetected occupational hearing loss claim.

Hand-arm vibration crossover

Many of the tools that generate the highest noise levels on construction sites — breakers, grinders, chipping hammers, and disc cutters — also cause hand-arm vibration (HAV). The two hazards frequently appear together, and a noise risk assessment is an ideal trigger to also carry out a HAV assessment under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005.

The HAV exposure action and limit values are:

• Exposure Action Value (EAV): 2.5 m/s² daily — above this, the employer must take action to reduce vibration exposure
• Exposure Limit Value (ELV): 5.0 m/s² daily — must not be exceeded

Prolonged exposure above these levels causes Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), which includes vibration white finger (VWF) — a painful, progressive condition affecting circulation and nerve function in the hands. Like NIHL, HAVS is irreversible once it develops. Workers using high-vibration tools should have their daily vibration exposure assessed alongside noise, and health surveillance for HAVS should be conducted in parallel with audiometry where both risks are present.