Email: snvconsultants@btconnect.com
Phone for a discussion and quotation - 01360 770840
Engineer/Acoustician - Robert
Hall BEng {First Class}
PROPRIETOR - Ian Watson BSc CEng FIMechE FIOA
NOISE
AT WORK | VIBRATION AT WORK
| ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE & VIBRATION
| WALL AND FLOOR SOUND |
CE MARKING
NOISE AND VIBRATION PROJECTS
AT COMPETITIVE PRICES.
For more than fifteen years we have
tackled a wide range of noise and vibration projects. We are proud of our record
in resolving all the investigations and assessments at minimum costs to our
clients. Robert Hall, Ian’s Grandson, has a degree in Mechanical Engineering
with First Class Honours from Strathclyde University. He can use excel and all
the rest of modern IT skills to produce professional reports which are easily
understood by our busy clients. Ian Watson is from a different age group. He
has acquired engineering, acoustic and vibration experience and knowledge by
having over twenty five years involvement in leading a team of engineers, physicists,
acousticians and technicians in stress, noise and vibration projects for a prestigious
engineering company which designed and made circulators for Advanced Gas Cooled
Nuclear Reactors, centrifugal, axial and mixed flow fans, large wind turbines,
vertical and horizontal shaft preheaters, electrostatic precipitators for power
stations, gas scrubbers, tunnels, etc.
If you think that you may be exposing
your staff to high levels of noise or vibration call us to discuss your concerns.
We can advise on the most practicable approach for compliance with the new Noise
and Vibration at Work Regulations recently ratified by the European Union and
UK Governments. We offer a telephone advice service to our clients for no charge.
We always endeavour to successfully complete all investigations and assessments
at minimum costs.
The following is a very brief description
of some of the services which we provide:
NOISE AT WORK ASSESSMENTS.
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The best way for us to serve our
clients is to prevent their workers from Noise Induced Hearing Loss {NIHL}.
That also serves the best interests of their employees. No amount of compensation
can make up for noise induced hearing damage which makes it very difficult to
follow and understand speech.
We carryout overall weighted and
linear octave band sound measurements at workstations and compile a comprehensive
report which we discuss with those nominated by the Manager. A relatively small
effort and investment in noise safety could prevent high compensation claims
in the future and protect workers from NIHL which is a common and serious industrial
injury. The quality of life of the victims could be gravely affected by inadequate
protection to high noise level exposure. It is an insidious process because
hearing damage is so gradual and frequency selective that those affected do
not realize that their hearing has been permanently damaged until it is too
late. Inability to follow and comprehend speech could deprive them of the things
which give them the greatest happiness and enjoyment in life. It could also
affect their ability to do their work properly. Our hearing and speech intelligibility
are immensely important faculties. This wonderful process should be protected
by all reasonable means.
We will help you to comply with the
current legislation and explain the EU new noise legislation which was ratified
in May 2006. The main reason for having two Action Levels is the fact that hearing
defenders could prevent personnel from hearing warnings of danger and approaching
vehicles. Hence, the Lower Action Level does not force employees to wear hearing
defenders. The Lower and Upper Action Levels have both been reduced by five
decibels to a noise exposure in one day by one person of 80 and 85 dB(A) respectively.
By measuring octave band sound levels we make sure that the selected hearing
defenders reduce the calculated ear sound level to below 80 dB(A).
After the site tests or after you
have read our report we arrange a discussion meeting to explain the new legislation.We
can also show, at no extra cost, a twenty minute DVD noise safety film to your
staff and/or supervisors as part of their training in reducing the risk of noise
induced hearing loss [NIHL}. We can bring a TV and DVD player at no extra charge.
VIBRATION AT WORK ASSESSMENTS.
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The current legislation – “Management
of Health and Safety at Work Regulations {1999}” make employers responsible
for monitoring the health of their employees if there is a risk and taking all
reasonable and practicable steps to reduce the risk. This Regulation applies
to all sources of injury to personnel, including noise and vibration.
Hand/Arm Vibration.
The new EU Hand/Arm vibration legislation
came into force in 2005. Compliance with this legislation will reduce the risk
of the very painful and debilitating diseases such as vibration white finger
{VWF}, and reduce the risk of high financial compensation claims and increasing
insurance premiums for employers. The Action and Limit Levels for hand/arm vibration
exposure are 2.5 and 5.0 m/s2 rms respectively. These relatively low values
could pose serious difficulties for employers who are responsible for workers
who use – angle and straight grinders, hammer drills, impact wrenches,
pencil grinders, wire brushes, polishers, jack hammers, sand rammers, chain
saws, hedge cutters, strimmers, hover mowers, pedestrian mowers and spikers,
turf cutters, wacker plates, needle guns, vibrating pokers, etc. It is very
important that employers do not allow any of their workers to be exposed to
the 5.0 m/s2 Limit Level in one day.
Whole-body Vibration.
We have directly helped the quarry,
coal and potash industries, and indirectly many other industries and recreational
activities such as those who are responsible for golf courses, to make EU legislation
for whole-body vibration a better balance for personnel safety, company viability
and national interests by making a case for increasing the proposed seat exposure
Limit Level from 0.8 to 1.15 m/s2 rms. This has approximately doubled the time
that operators can work before reaching the Limit Level.
We have campaigned for years to improve
the whole-body vibration legislation by discarding the irrational, confusing,
unreliable and excessively complicated VDV method for measuring and assessing
seat vibration exposure. The VDV method is based on a fourth power relationship
of exposure time and “vibration” which results in a unit of m/s1.75
which is not even a vibration unit. Hence, no more time or money should be wasted
on this irrational and flawed procedure. HSE have recently decided to stop using
the VDV method and only use the more rational A(8) method. They should be congratulated
for their moral courage and wisdom. More site work is needed to establish safe
action levels for workers without unnecessarily threatening jobs and well run
businesses. We are now trying to get BSI/ISO to remove all reference to the
VDV method from their standards. That would give greater protection to workers
and employers and make the vibration assessments cheaper.
ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE AND VIBRATION
IMPACT ASSESSMENTS.
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There are more complaints about noise
than for the sum total of all other forms of environmental pollution. It is
a major issue for many companies. Road traffic and plane noise are becoming
increasingly dominant. Some Local Authorities give preference to housing development
at the expense of our shrinking manufacturing industries. We need both. We have
helped to obtain planning permission for housing development, factories, quarries,
recreational facilities, restaurants, pubs, etc. We have helped to resolve noise
disputes without expensive court proceedings. We have helped to cancel arranged
court proceedings when a Local Authority was unjustly sued for hearing damage
by a school janitor. This saved taxpayers a lot of money. We have successfully
upheld our clients best interests when an attempt was made to use the fundamentally
flawed and unethical “inaudibility” criterion. A hotel owner, a
family run public bar and those responsible for a church hall are indebted to
our services.
We try to encourage tolerance and
reasonable discussions. A balanced approach is the best way to expedite planning
applications and to resolve noise disputes.
WALL AND FLOOR SOUND TRANSMISSION
TESTS.
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We can carryout wall sound transmission
tests and floor airborne sound tapping tests to current standards to assist
in planning applications for new and refurbished houses and buildings.
CE MARKING.
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In order to sell in the EU market
it is mandatory for the product to have a CE mark which can only be used when
there is compliance with EU safety Regulations. This includes all EU regulations
to protect personnel from excessive exposure to noise and vibration. Telephone
020 7215 2913 or 020 7215 1339 for a copy of the dti document on “Machinery
– Guidance Notes on UK Regulations”. SNV could help you to comply
with noise and vibration legislation for CE marking.
