Noise and Vibration Regulations for Tradespeople UK — What You Must Know (2026)

Two of the most common occupational health hazards in the trades are also two of the most overlooked: noise-induced hearing loss and hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Both are progressive, both are largely irreversible, and both are covered by their own sets of regulations with specific exposure limits that employers — including sole traders who employ workers — must comply with.

This guide covers what the law requires, what the numbers mean in practice, and what you need to do to protect yourself and anyone who works for you.

Part 1: Noise at Work

The Regulations

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 implement the EU Physical Agents (Noise) Directive in Great Britain. They apply to all employers and set out duties based on how loud the working environment is.

The Three Exposure Values

Noise exposure is measured as a daily or weekly personal noise exposure level, expressed in dB(A). There are three key thresholds:

• Lower exposure action value (LEAV): 80 dB(A). At this level your employer must assess the risk, provide information and training, and make hearing protection available on request. Workers do not have to wear it, but it must be accessible.
• Upper exposure action value (UEAV): 85 dB(A). At this level your employer must provide hearing protection and ensure workers actually use it. Engineering and organisational controls — quieter tools, rotating workers off noisy tasks — must also be implemented where practicable.
• Exposure limit value (ELV): 87 dB(A). Workers must not be exposed above this level at all, even when wearing hearing protection. The ELV is calculated after accounting for the attenuation provided by PPE.

How Loud Are Your Tools?

The figures above become very significant once you look at typical tool noise levels. Almost every common power tool exceeds 85 dB(A):

• Angle grinder: approximately 100 dB(A)
• Hammer drill: approximately 100 dB(A)
• Circular saw: approximately 110 dB(A)
• Concrete breaker: approximately 108 dB(A)
• Nail gun: approximately 100 dB(A)

At 100 dB(A), the UEAV of 85 dB(A) is reached in a matter of minutes of continuous use per day. That does not mean you cannot use these tools — it means you must be controlling the exposure.

Choosing and Using Hearing Protection

The three main types are disposable foam earplugs (typically SNR around 30 dB), reusable earplugs, and over-ear defenders. A key point the regulations emphasise: hearing protection only provides its stated attenuation when worn correctly. A foam earplug rolled down and pushed halfway into the ear canal reduces its stated SNR by 15 dB or more. Training workers in how to fit protection correctly is a legal requirement, not optional.

Hearing protection is also the last line of defence, not the first. Before reaching for earmuffs, consider: can you use a quieter tool? Can you position yourself further from the noise source? Can you enclose the equipment or screen it? Can you rotate workers so no one individual accumulates the daily dose?

Noise at the Neighbours' Level

Beyond worker health, tradespeople also need to be aware of community noise. Planning permissions often include conditions restricting noisy work to specific hours — typically 08:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays, and no noisy work on Sundays or bank holidays, though this varies by local authority. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require noise to be considered in the pre-construction phase. Running a generator or angle grinder at 07:00 on a Sunday is both a planning breach and a potential statutory nuisance complaint.

Part 2: Hand-Arm Vibration

The Regulations

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 cover both hand-arm vibration (from handheld tools) and whole-body vibration (from vehicles and machinery). For most tradespeople, hand-arm vibration is the relevant risk.

What Is HAVS?

Hand-arm vibration syndrome is a progressive occupational disease caused by regular use of vibrating tools. It damages the nerves and blood vessels in the hands and fingers. Symptoms include vibration-induced white finger (VWF) — where fingers turn white and numb on exposure to cold — along with tingling, numbness, loss of grip strength, and pain. HAVS is irreversible and can be severely disabling. Workers who develop it may be unable to continue their trade.

The Exposure Values for Vibration

Vibration exposure is expressed as an eight-hour energy-equivalent acceleration, A(8), in metres per second squared (m/s²):

• Exposure action value (EAV): 2.5 m/s² A(8). Above this level, employers must put a programme of controls in place and arrange health surveillance for affected workers.
• Exposure limit value (ELV): 5 m/s² A(8). This must not be exceeded under any circumstances.

Typical Tool Vibration Levels

Tool manufacturers are required to declare vibration emission values. These are indicative — real-world exposures depend on the material being worked, technique, and tool condition — but give a starting point:

• Breaker or demolition hammer: 8 to 25 m/s²
• Angle grinder: 4 to 8 m/s²
• Random orbital sander: 4 to 10 m/s²
• Drill: 2 to 5 m/s²

A demolition hammer at 15 m/s² reaches the EAV of 2.5 m/s² A(8) in under eight minutes of trigger time. The ELV is reached in around thirty minutes. These are not edge cases — they are the everyday reality of groundwork and breaking-out tasks.

Using the HSE Vibration Calculator

The HSE publishes a free vibration exposure calculator at hse.gov.uk/vibration. You enter the tool's vibration level and the daily trigger time, and it tells you whether you are below the EAV, between the EAV and ELV, or above the ELV. It also produces a ready-reckoner chart so you can see at a glance how many minutes of exposure at a given vibration level pushes you through each threshold. Use the manufacturer's declared value as a starting point, but note that worn or blunt tools vibrate significantly more — maintaining your kit properly is a compliance issue, not just a performance one.

Practical Controls for Vibration

The hierarchy of controls applies here as with noise. In order of priority:

• Substitution: Use low-vibration tools where they exist. Some manufacturers publish HAV-rated variants specifically because buyers now specify them.
• Reduce trigger time: Rotate tasks between workers. Break up continuous tool use with non-vibrating activities.
• Maintain tools: Blunt drill bits, worn grinding discs, and poorly-maintained breakers all increase vibration. Keep tools sharp and serviced.
• Keep hands warm: Cold constricts blood vessels and dramatically increases the effect of vibration. Gloves that keep hands warm are useful — anti-vibration gloves labelled "AV" provide limited vibration attenuation and should not be treated as a primary control.
• Grip: Avoid gripping tools harder than necessary. Firm grip increases transmission of vibration into the hand and arm.

Health Surveillance

If any of your workers are regularly exposed at or above the EAV of 2.5 m/s² A(8), you must arrange health surveillance. This starts with an annual questionnaire asking workers about symptoms in their hands and fingers. If a worker reports symptoms, they must be referred for a medical examination by an occupational health professional. The records must be kept for 40 years — because the latency between exposure and diagnosis can be decades.

Health surveillance is not just about the worker. It is your early-warning system. Catching early symptoms allows you to reduce that worker's exposure before the disease progresses — and it demonstrates due diligence if a claim is ever made.

HAVS Claims: A Real Liability Risk

There is an active industrial disease claims industry in the UK specifically targeting HAVS. If one of your employees develops HAVS and can demonstrate that you failed to assess their exposure, implement controls, or arrange health surveillance, you face significant civil liability. Settlements in HAVS cases regularly run into tens of thousands of pounds per claimant. Employers' liability insurance will typically cover this, but only if you can show you had adequate controls in place — insurers have been known to contest claims where the employer had no records at all. Keep your vibration risk assessment, exposure calculations, and health surveillance records.

The Practical Takeaway

Both the noise and vibration regulations follow the same pattern: assess the exposure, apply controls, provide PPE as a last resort, and monitor the health of anyone regularly exposed above the action values. For sole traders working alone, the immediate obligation is to protect yourself and to be aware of the limits. The moment you take on employees — including regular subcontractors who could be deemed workers — the formal obligations around health surveillance and written risk assessments become legally required.

The HSE publishes free guidance on both sets of regulations, including ready-reckoner tools and example risk assessments. Using them costs nothing. Not using them when an employee develops noise-induced hearing loss or HAVS can be very expensive indeed.