Noise at Work Regulations: The 80, 85 and 87 dB Levels Explained

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 have three levels of daily or weekly noise exposure. At 80 dB(A), your employer must assess the risk, train you and give you hearing protection if you ask. At 85 dB(A), they must cut the noise by other means, provide hearing protection and make sure it's worn. And 87 dB(A) is the legal limit, which takes ear defenders into account. Each level also has a peak figure, for sudden bangs.

The order of those duties matters as much as the numbers. The noise at work regulations treat ear defenders as the last step. They cover whatever noise is left after quieter methods, distance and shorter stints. A site that answers every breaker with a box of foam plugs hasn't followed the law, even if everyone's wearing them.

The noise at work regulations levels, in one table

Regulation 4 sets the figures. Each level has two parts. The first is your daily or weekly exposure, a dose that combines how loud the noise is with how long you're in it. The second is peak sound pressure, the single loudest moment, such as a cartridge tool firing.

Level	Daily or weekly exposure	Peak	What has to happen
Lower exposure action value	80 dB(A)	135 dB(C)	The employer assesses the risk, trains the workers exposed and gives hearing protection to anyone who asks
Upper exposure action value	85 dB(A)	137 dB(C)	The employer runs a plan to reduce the noise, provides hearing protection, makes sure it's worn and marks hearing protection zones
Exposure limit value	87 dB(A)	140 dB(C)	No one may be exposed above it, with their hearing protection taken into account

Figures from regulation 4, checked on legislation.gov.uk, 26 October 2026.

If your crew is near 85 dB(A) over a shift, the job needs a plan to make it quieter, signs and ear defenders.

Ear defenders count towards the limit, but not towards the action values. Regulation 4(5) says the limit value takes account of the hearing protection the employer provides, and the two action values don't. HSE's brief guide says it directly. "Do not make any allowance for the wearing of personal hearing protection when you estimate workers' noise exposure levels." So handing out ear defenders never brings a job below 85 dB(A). It only helps keep the person wearing them under 87.

HSE says every 3 dB doubles the noise, so the levels are further apart than they look.

How to tell if your site has a noise problem

HSE gives simple rules of thumb. It says you'll probably need to do something about noise if your employees "have to raise their voices to have a normal conversation when about 2 metres apart for at least part of the day". The same goes if they "use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour a day". HSE also flags hammering, "pneumatic impact tools" and "cartridge-operated tools".

HSE's construction guidance adds a test for the upper level. The noise is probably 85 dB or more "if it is necessary to shout to talk to someone 2 m away, for more than about two hours per day in total."

For workers, HSE asks one more question. "Do you have muffled hearing at the end of the day, even if it is better by the next morning?"

A rule of thumb only tells you to look closer. Regulation 5 has the employer judge the levels by watching the work, using information on the equipment and, if necessary, measuring.

What HSE says common site tasks expose you to

HSE lists indicative noise levels for some construction tasks, given as a daily exposure (LEP,d). That's the same measure as the 80, 85 and 87 dB(A) levels. HSE says actual levels can vary, possibly significantly, with the equipment and how well it's maintained and used.

Task	HSE average daily noise level (LEP,d)
Labouring, angle grinding or cutting	90 to 110 dB
Labouring, digging or scabbling	100 dB
Piling, worker	100+ dB
Carpentry	92 dB
Concrete chipping or drilling	85+ dB
Driving a dumper or roller	85+ dB

From HSE's construction noise assessment guidance, checked 26 October 2026.

If your crew spends a normal shift on any of these, start from the upper level duties and let the assessment tell you otherwise.

What employers must do under the noise at work regulations

• Assess the risk (regulation 5). If your work is liable to expose people at or above 80 dB(A), assess the risk, record the significant findings and review them when the work changes. HSE says not to leave it more than about two years without checking whether a review is needed.
• Reduce the noise at source (regulation 6). Eliminate the risk at source or, where that isn't reasonably practicable, reduce it as low as is reasonably practicable. At 85 dB(A) and above, that means a planned programme of noise control.
• Provide hearing protection (regulation 7). Between 80 and 85 dB(A), it must be available to anyone who asks. If the noise can't be brought below 85 dB(A) by other means, it must be provided.
• Mark hearing protection zones (regulation 7(3)). Any area where someone is likely to be at or above 85 dB(A) is designated, marked with the ear protection sign and, where practicable, restricted.
• Maintain the controls and check they're used (regulation 8). That covers quieter equipment and enclosures as well as ear defenders.
• Provide health surveillance (regulation 9). Where the assessment finds a risk to health, that includes hearing tests and a health record for each worker.
• Give information, instruction and training (regulation 10) to anyone likely to be exposed at or above 80 dB(A).

Regulation 3 stretches most of these duties beyond your own staff. So far as reasonably practicable, they cover other people at work who are affected by your work, such as another firm's gang working next to your breaker. Health surveillance stays with each worker's own employer. The wider duty to train, whatever the noise level, has its own post, health and safety training for employees.

Why ear defenders come last

At the upper level, regulation 6 says the programme to reduce exposure must exclude "the provision of personal hearing protectors". HSE's hearing protection guidance is blunt about it. "You should not use hearing protection as an alternative to controlling noise by technical and organisational means."

HSE's construction guidance says hearing protection "can easily fail or be misused". HSE also warns that removing it "for only a few minutes" considerably lowers the protection. A worker who keeps lifting a cup to hear the ganger loses much of that protection.

Too much protection is a risk as well. HSE says protectors that bring the level at the ear below 70 dB should be avoided, because over-protection makes warnings hard to hear. On a site with reversing plant, that matters.

So start with the work. HSE's suggestions for construction include block splitters instead of cut-off saws, bursting or crushing instead of pneumatic drilling, and boring instead of pile driving. It also suggests placing noisy plant away from workers, using trailers, cabins or plywood as temporary barriers, and rotating people off the noisiest jobs.

Plugs only protect the person wearing them, fitted properly, for every minute of the noise. A quieter method protects everyone in earshot, including the labourer who left their ear defenders in the van.

Hearing damage from noise is permanent

Once your hearing has gone, HSE says, "it won't come back." The damage usually builds up over years, but an explosive noise can cause it instantly.

Tinnitus, a ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears, can become permanent too. HSE says hearing aids "cannot fully compensate" for lost natural hearing.

HSE's early signs include struggling with conversations or phone calls, family saying the television is too loud, and missing sounds like "t", "d" and "s". Temporary deafness after a noisy shift is a warning as well, even if your hearing comes back within a few hours.

What workers must do

Under regulation 8, you must make full and proper use of the hearing protection your employer provides at the upper level, and of any other noise controls they put in place. If you find a defect, report it as soon as is practicable.

HSE adds that you should wear your hearing protection all the time during noisy work and in hearing protection zones. Tell your employer about any ear trouble. If you're placed under health surveillance, regulation 9 says you attend when required, during working hours and at your employer's cost.

Noise awareness training

Regulation 10 asks for suitable and sufficient training and leaves the choice of course to the employer. Our Noise Awareness online course covers measuring and assessing noise, controlling it, choosing and wearing hearing protection, and what health surveillance and hearing tests are for.

Cut the noise first, then protect the hearing of whoever's left in it. If you're training a whole team, start with health and safety training for employers.

Frequently asked questions