Hi all, Sadly, I am tied to a strict budget for the next few months yet I need to purchase a sound level meter. This equipment ranges from £100 - £lots of thousands!! Any recommendations that are reasonably cheap (sub £300) that still offer compliance to the noise at work regulations? Arco list one as "type 2" but say it does not comply, I wonder if that's because it does not have its own calibration kit? I say that as I've found a couple of others that are on the cheap side with a calibration unit and certification yet they reckon they comply?

Hi Ian, We are industrial cleaner subcontractors to heavy industry, so we can be exposed to all manner of industrial noise. That perhaps is not my key concerns as in theory our "blue chip" clients have conducted noise assessments and signage accordingly. As a rule they are generally good. One of my key concerns is the machinery / equipment we use (engine driven pumps, jack hammers etc) that we introduce to their work space or when on a customer site where H&S controls are not adequate and we force them to at least our standard. I like your suggestion of hiring in the equipment, my only problem is that as we are contractors, its difficult to plan ahead for any assessment as the task / site / equipment can change on a weekly basis and therefore it would be ideal to have a meter / dose badge to hand. It may seem that we are flying by the seat of our pants here, but I am confident that the bulk of our customer controls and the positive attitude of our working crew (who have hearing protection issued as standard) are safe, I just have no official documentation to support this.

Understand exactly where you are coming from Pikeman - I might be using this thread for a capital expenditure request!

who have hearing protection issued as standard" re the above statement - how do you know what PPE to issue without noise measurement and dose appraisal

We use RION class (type) 1 meters. £4.5K to buy new +£300 annual calibration fee. Excellent products. Class (type) 2 can be purchased on ebay for £20.00 or thereabouts. Jon

Should be fine for basic & spot recording and non contentious measurements. You should be able to hire Class (type) 1 meters for about £25. per day . Make sure you have a calibration cert with it. Jon

I have the 3m Optime Sound Advice App on my phone, whilst its very handy, Im not so sure about its credentials - i.e. calibration and accuracy - very handy if it were good enough!

Thats interesting to know Paul, As has been mentioned above, this is a difficult one to comply with only having a limited budget, as I'm now fed up of going around in circles I have concluded that the key reason the cheap end Level 2 meters do not comply is because of their inability to integrate (average Leq).

Hi RCN, Just a heads-up but I don't think that meter is an integrating meter. That standard is old but I think it referred to meters which basically let you see instantaneous levels only. Maybe someone familiar with the old standards can confirm - it might be why it's so cheap, too. We replaced our Class 1 meter with a new Class 2 this year (like most people, we have no need for Class 1 precision). We spent £4k and got a meter (with octave measurements), 4 dose badges and calibrators for both - I think the meter on it's own was around £1500. If you can put your £300 in the cupboard and pitch for some more for 14-15 maybe waiting until April might be better! Either that or, as was suggested, try to find a way to fit renting into your work pattern. Good luck whatever you do.

Can anyone clarify why a £300 calibrated sound meter would possibly not stand up in court? The SD200 does give a Leq reading, by the way.

In that situation accepted, you would need a dose monitor, but where noise samples are taken for a repeated process such as processing a part, would there be an issue between using a calibrated 4.5K meter and a calibrated £300 one when an Leq is given???

I have used a phone App to convince a sceptical employer of the need to commission a noise survey but that is about the limit of its use in an occupational setting.