Noise at work: protecting your hearing on the job
Noise at work is one of the most common causes of permanent hearing loss in the UK. Employers have clear legal duties, and the right protection, worn properly, prevents almost all of the damage.
Loud jobs, slow damage.
Construction, manufacturing, engineering, agriculture, warehousing, music and entertainment, the armed forces and the emergency services all involve noise that can damage hearing. So do many smaller trades, such as joinery, metalwork, groundworks and car repairs.
The damage builds slowly, often over decades, so many people do not realise it is happening until they struggle to follow conversations, particularly in groups or background noise, or develop tinnitus.
If you need to raise your voice to be heard by someone about two metres away, the noise level is likely to need assessing.
If your ears ring or feel dull after a shift, you are being exposed to too much noise.
The law on noise at work.
In Great Britain, the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 set out what employers must do. They are based on your average daily noise exposure over an eight hour day, and on peak sound levels from sudden impacts.
- 80 dB: your employer must assess the risk, give you information and training, and make hearing protection available if you ask for it.
- 85 dB: your employer must reduce noise as far as reasonably practicable, provide hearing protection, mark hearing protection zones, and make sure protection is worn.
- 87 dB: the legal limit for exposure at your ear, taking your hearing protection into account.
Where there is a risk to hearing, employers must also provide health surveillance, which usually means regular hearing checks. You have a duty too: to wear the protection provided and to report any problems with it. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes detailed guidance on its website.
Wearing protection properly.
- Wear it all the time you are in noise. Taking it off for even a few minutes in a loud area wipes out much of the benefit.
- Fit foam earplugs properly. Roll them thin, pull the top of your ear up and back, insert, and hold for a few seconds while they expand.
- Check earmuffs seal. Glasses, hair and hats under the cushions let noise in.
- Choose comfortable protection. If it is uncomfortable, you will not wear it. Ask your employer about alternatives.
- Do not over-protect. Too much protection isolates you and makes it hard to hear warnings and colleagues.
A clear record of your hearing.
A full test gives you your own record of your hearing, separate from any workplace screening.
Noise damage has a recognisable pattern on a hearing chart. Regular tests catch it before it affects everyday life.
Tinnitus from noise is common. Assessment and advice are included in every hearing test.
If noise has already affected your hearing, hearing aids can bring back much of the detail.
Frequently asked questions.
Your employer must make protection available at an average of 80 dB over the day, and must provide it and make sure it is worn at 85 dB.
If you are at risk from noise, your employer must provide health surveillance, which usually includes regular hearing checks.
Yes. Tinnitus is often one of the first signs of noise damage, and can appear alone or with hearing loss.
Yes. Many people like to have their own independent record. A full test is free in our Birmingham clinic, or £50 at home.
The noise damage itself does not continue once exposure stops, but age-related changes add to it over time, so hearing can still decline.
Check your hearing, independently.
Free in our Birmingham clinic, or £50 at home, with evening and weekend appointments.
Noise-induced hearing lossHigh-frequency hearing lossTinnitusHearing protection guideHearing tests
Written and clinically reviewed by our HCPC registered audiologists. Last reviewed: 15 October 2026. This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your hearing or your ears, book an appointment or speak to your GP.