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#1 Posted : 08 March 2001 15:37:00(UTC)
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Posted By Bob Matthews
Can you help me with this one people?
We have radio speakers fitted to the ceiling on the shopfloor (about 20 feet off the ground)The music????? is on all day. There are staff working on benches directly below one speaker, they have to hear a beep on the meter they are working on to ensure they work correctly ( the meters that is not the staff). Sometimes the music is too loud to hear the beeps. The noise comes out at 70db. I have asked for the music to be turned down but this nearly caused a riot in the rest of the department. The benches can't be moved due to space. I have read through the guidance notes on noise but can't find anything for radios. They are also reluctant to move the speaker.

Many thanks

Bob
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#2 Posted : 09 March 2001 01:49:00(UTC)
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Posted By Ken Urquhart
Bob.

This sounds to me, (No pun intended) a bit like Mobile Phones and driving.
When does something that some see as a pleasure or benefit become a dangerous and distracting hazard.
You talk about NOISE from the Radio, but is it really noise?

This is I think subjective, what is acceptable and interesting to some is annoyance and irritation to others.

There are devices for DISCO amplification equipment that enable output to be pre-set so that as the receivers hearing thresholds alter during exposure and the DJ continually turns the volume higher and higher during the exposure time because the shift in the receivers hearing suggests to them that they are not adequately hearing the MUSIC is similar.

Is it not more perhaps DISTRACTION from the essentials of the work Task.. that you need to consider.
In such circumstances should you even be allowing Radio to be played in this area/work scenario.

Think of a work task/area where Voice contact is critical,or the task requires degrees of concentration or perception and there should be minimum potential for distraction, should radio or other sound system transmissions be allowed?

You also perhaps have a liaison/consultation situation here.

Do you need to make a new Risk Assesment for the work area and the work tasks performed in it.
Do you/will you involve the personnel and Safety Representatives if any in any new review and consultation the purpose of which is, not least, to achieve an understanding from different groups of workers, supervision and mangment as to each others problems and needs. And to remind pople of legislative compliance requirements. Then to work jointly to achieve a consensus that suits.

You may find that some of the affected people actually have ideas or suggestions that could overcome the problem, and of course such liaison is the opportunity for you to emphasise the organisations obligations and compliance requirements for H&S measures, and to update company/organisation Policy and pocedural/ behaviour standards for the workplace.

Was there at some time in the past an agreement between operational personnel, perhaps unions and management that allowed radio to be installed in the workplace in the firstplace, but when task or conditions were not seen to be being interfered with?
The conditions have now changed and so need review and new agreed measures re-communicating.

Another thought, does your speaker system carry any other source, other than Radio, e.g.: Alarm Signals, Company announcements or paging systems etc?

Could your BEEP be some other indicator, such as a FLASHING LIGHT, thus allowing the music to continue, having regard to the Quality and criticality of the task on the workpiece. (It is not clear from your posting whether or not the BEEP emits from the WORKPIECE or from a tool or piece of equipment used in the fabrication of the WORKPIECE).

Alternatively, if the task has low criticality but you still want people to enjoy the Radio, look at Hearing Protection systems, (Ear Dfender types) that are deigned for voice communication in extremely High Noise environments.
It may be possible to adapt these.
Remove the speaker from above the workers, Transmit the Radio to them through the Ear Defender receiver headsets and over-ride the RADIO with the BEEP automatically as it is produced from the task process. (Of course this concept could throw up a whole new range of hazard and risk, perception/awareness problems and require a separate safety system).

A final thought occurrs, what about the frequency of the BEEP.
There are some SOUND SOURCE FREQUENCIES that "Grab" your atention.
You could consult with Noise/Acoustic Enineering specialists and come up wih a BEEP emission that cannot be ignored.

This has rambled on a bit but I hope that some of the ideas and views are of help.

Regards.

Ken Urquhart.
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#3 Posted : 09 March 2001 08:26:00(UTC)
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Posted By Ken Taylor
At the 'bottom line':
The noise is not so loud as to require action under noise regulations;
If not hearing the beep affects work output, I would have thought that Management would want to do something about it; and
If not hearing the beep has implications for health and safety (either that of the workers or the product users), it probably is (or could lead to)a breach of health and safety or consumer safety law and requires action or enforcement.
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#4 Posted : 09 March 2001 11:23:00(UTC)
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Posted By John Webster
Without detracting from the above responses, perhaps the simplest PRACTICAL solution would be to fit a baffle over the speaker immediately above the subject workstation (a bit of foam and sellotape should do the trick). That way most of the shopfloor won't notice the difference, and it might be enough for the bleep to be heard at that workstation.
If turning the volume down is what is needed, try getting an agreement for a trial period - then turning it down just a little each day over a week or two will hardly be noticed as the staff get used to the new volume level.

john
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#5 Posted : 15 March 2001 16:48:00(UTC)
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Posted By Rob Todd
Bob,

It all rather depends on the criticality of hearing the bleep of the equipment. If this potential failure to hear results in a safety problem, then you have a duty to bring the matter up with senior management and have the radio turned down or moved.

Apart from that, 70 is hardly loud! It's not a case of you don't like the radio station concerned is it?

Good luck
Rob
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