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Posted By Simonh
I know this will probably divide responses into two distinct camps,but here goes. One of our facilities has noise levels above the second action level and, therefore, mandatory hearing protection zones. Within these zones, staff have been observed wearing 'IPod' earpieces under their ear defenders. Is there any legislation that directly prohibits this practice, or is this a matter for management by risk assessment. Machine operators in these zones are not required to leave their machines except for communication purposes, when they go to areas below the first action level. Emergency alarms are visual as well as audio based and there are no transport risks present such as FLT's.
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Posted By Paul Duell
As a first step, I'd check with the manufacturer of the hearing protection: it may be that the headphone lead sufficiently disrupts the seal that the ear defender becomes less effective. In that case, the employees could be breaching their section 7 duty of co-operation - once they've had explained about the leads reducing the effectiveness of their PPE.
If that ISN'T a problem - do you actually have a good reason for banning iPods etc? If there are things people still need to hear (you've said alarms are visual as well as audible) then again, section 7 could still apply. Depending on your industry there could be all sorts of reasons for banning iPods - not taking personal property into production area for example, but these wouldn't be H&S reasons directly.
Otherwise, I'd say let 'em wear them if they want to!
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Posted By Geoff Ferneyhough
Whilst I agree with the comments made above there is one other issue.
That of the volume, if your staff are wearing Ipods listening to music you have no control over the volume and their personal exposure to noise that could cause Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL).
You can be sure if any of your staff suffer NIHL they will blame the work related noise exposure and not the use of IPODS all day every day.
We do not allow their use in our Noise Protection Zones.
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Posted By Descarte
I would have thought unless these are bluetooth ear peices? the cables would be compromising the effectiveness of the hearing protection and thus could be outlawed for that reason.
Also the point of them not being able to hear any emergency alarms is also valid.
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Posted By David Whaley
Simon,
Reg 6 of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (1) The employer shall ensure the risk from the exposure of his employees to noise is either eliminated at source or, where this is not reasonably practicable reduced to as low a level as is reasonably practicable.
I think eliminated is the important word in the above.
Hope this is of interest.
David
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Posted By Paul Duell
>>You can be sure if any of your staff suffer NIHL they will blame the work related noise exposure and not the use of IPODS all day every day.
True - but we've got no control over what they do in the 16 hours a day they're not at work anyway. If your records of noise prevention/control are in good order and show that you've followed the usual heirarchy of control (including training), and as long as you've established that the iPod leads don't disrupt the ear defenders effectiveness (as in my post above), I don't see the problem.
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Posted By bob safe
We have a supervisor in charge of an engineering section, he asks his guys not to wear them, if they do he cuts the wire (allegedly)drastic, but effective (allegedly)
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Posted By Peter Batty
I notice that you refer to machine operators, is the cable not at risk of becoming entangled in the machine? Possibly causing injury?
Peter
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Posted By Barrie (Badger) Etter
I agree with Pauls' comments except let them wear them.
At the last company I worked for there were several areas where noise breached the 100 dB level. Obviously hearing protection muffs were the order of the day. On one occasion I caught an opperative with iPod under ear muffs at the same time as doing a noise survey. I requested that he put the ear pieces in the ear muffs and close the muffs around the noise meter nosing, the reulting reading was 110 115 dB. For arguments sake say 15dB above the machine noise he was working on. I told him to remove the iPod and put it away and the reason for the request. He refused. I then informed him I was logging the event and informing management. He just didn't care.
I didn't see the outcome as I moved onto another (better) paypacket.
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