Pub and club owners failing to act on noise regulations

As many as fifty per cent of pub and club owners are failing to protect their staff from excessive noise at work, a survey by an environmental health organisation has found.

The findings by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) also show that almost 90 per cent of responding venue owners had not taken steps to reduce noise exposure since the elements of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 regarding the entertainment sector came into force last year.

Director of CIEH Wales Julie Barratt said: “We know that exposure to loud music can cause temporary or even permanent hearing loss. The purpose of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations is to protect employees working in noisy premises. 

“The regulations don’t just cover factories; they also cover pubs and nightclubs, where continuous exposure to loud music can damage the hearing of staff. This survey suggests that notwithstanding the legislation, staff in the premises surveyed are not being protected and may be at risk of suffering damage to their hearing.”

All but one of the staff questioned said they had not received any training at all and one in six regularly had to shout to be heard two metres away.

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 came into force in the music and entertainment sector from April 2008, reducing acceptable level of exposure limits. Under the regulation employers must:

• Assess the risks to employees from noise at work
• Take action to reduce the noise exposure that produces those risks
• Provide employees with hearing protection if you cannot reduce the noise exposure enough by using other methods
• Provide employees with information/guidance
• Carry out surveillance where there is a risk to health

Miss Barratt added: “While all new legislation takes time to bed down, it is quite clear from this research that staff themselves have little understanding of their right to be protected.

“What’s more, the majority of employers have little understanding of their responsibilities and are failing to comply with the law.”