Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993)RegulationsNoise Exposure Regulations, 20247. Noise exposure risk assessment |
| (1) | An employer or self-employed person must, in respect of a workplace under their control, cause the noise exposure risk assessment to be done— |
| (a) | as far as is reasonably practicable, before exposure to noise; |
| (b) | thereafter at intervals not exceeding 24-months; and |
| (c) | by a competent person. |
| (2) | When making the noise exposure risk assessment contemplated in subregulation (1), an employer or self-employed person must take into account at least the following— |
| (a) | the noise sources to which a person may be exposed; |
| (b) | the adverse health effects that the exposure to noise may have on men, women, young employees, vulnerable employees and other persons, where applicable; |
| (c) | the extent to which a person may be exposed; |
| (d) | the nature of the work process and any reasonable deterioration in or failure of any control measures; |
| (e) | the previous noise exposure risk assessments, including— |
| (i) | the results of previous approved noise inspection authority noise exposure monitoring reports; and |
| (ii) | the outcomes of the hearing loss trend analysis; |
| (f) | the presence and extent of exposure to ototoxic chemical agents; and |
| (g) | in the case of the exposure to whole-body vibration, whether the exposure exceeds the action level for whole-body vibration set out in the Physical Agents Regulations. |
| (3) | An employer or self-employed person must, in terms of the noise exposure risk assessment— |
| (a) | consider the recommendations identified by a competent person in the noise exposure risk assessment; and |
| (b) | develop a documented action plan for the implementation of the recommended interventions. |
| (4) | An employer or self-employed person must forthwith review a noise exposure risk assessment made in accordance with subregulation (1) if— |
| (a) | there is reason to believe that such noise exposure risk assessment is no longer valid; |
| (b) | control measures are no longer efficient; |
| (c) | technological or scientific advances allow for more efficient control methods; |
| (d) | there has been a change in— |
| (i) | work methods; |
| (ii) | plant and machinery; |
| (iii) | the type of work carried out; or |
| (iv) | control measures; |
| (e) | an incident occurred; or |
| (f) | the medical surveillance reveals an adverse health effect, where noise exposure is identified as a contributing factor. |
| (5) | The review of the noise exposure risk assessment contemplated in subregulation (4) must be carried out in accordance with subregulations (1)(c), (2) and (3). |