Compliance code: Noise

What it contains

If your work environment involves exposure to noise, there are specific duties and obligations you need to comply with under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) 2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (OHS Regulations) 2017. This compliance code gives you practical guidance on how to comply with those duties and obligations.

This information is particularly relevant for you if you're an employer, manufacturer, designer or supplier of plant, a designer of buildings or structures, or someone who installs, erects or commissions plant. It uses examples and tools you can apply to your own situation.

It includes information on:

• how exposure to noise can cause hearing loss and other damage
• who has duties to manage risks associated with noise exposure
• what the duties are for designers, manufacturers, suppliers and installers of plant
• what the duties are for employers
• how employers can identify hazards
• how employers can determine exposure to noise
• practical measures employers can use to control risks
• audiometric testing and audiological examinations

It is recommended that you follow the compliance code. If you comply with a code, you are deemed to comply with the Act or Regulation duty covered by the code. However, codes are not mandatory and duty holders may choose to use some other way to achieve compliance.