Noise Toolbox Talk Template
Noise at work can damage hearing and make warning signals or instructions harder to hear. A talk should identify the actual task and exposed people, then show the quieter method, equipment, location or schedule chosen by the assessment. Hearing protection is part of the control where needed, but HSE says it is not an alternative to reducing noise by other reasonably practicable means. The talk cannot estimate a worker's legal daily exposure from a single sound reading or decide the right protector by guesswork. HSE employer duties; HSE noise controls.
Control the noise at source before relying on ear protection
Copyable briefing card
| Field | Complete for this task |
|---|---|
| Site, area, task, date and lead | [ ] |
| Noise sources and operating times | [ ] |
| Workers/other trades/public potentially exposed | [ ] |
| Noise assessment reference and exposure estimate | [ ] |
| Quieter method, tool, enclosure or distance control | [ ] |
| Planned time in noisy area and access restrictions | [ ] |
| Hearing protection specified by the assessment | [ ] |
| How warnings/communications remain audible | [ ] |
| Equipment maintenance/defect route | [ ] |
| Hearing-concern or health-surveillance contact | [ ] |
| Change/stop-work trigger | [ ] |
Lead's opening: “Today's noise comes from [activity]. Our first control is [quieter method, enclosure or separation]. The assessment also requires [other controls]. If you are in the designated area, wear the specified hearing protection correctly, but do not use it as a reason to leave a defective or unnecessarily loud machine running. Tell me if the task, duration or neighbouring workers change.”
Walk the control sequence
Identify the exposure. A worker may use several noisy tools during a shift. The employer's noise assessment needs a reliable estimate of personal exposure across the work, including peak noise where relevant. A smartphone app or a single reading at a machine does not automatically establish compliance. HSE's lower and upper daily/weekly exposure action values are 80 and 85 dB(A), with separate peak values; the consequences and assessment method are explained in the current guidance. Do not compare a momentary sound level with a full-shift action value as though they were the same thing. HSE noise assessment.
Reduce at source. Ask whether the work can use a quieter tool, process or material; whether equipment can be maintained or enclosed; whether noisy tasks can be separated from others; and whether time in the area can be reduced without transferring the risk to a different worker. A badly maintained machine may be both louder and less efficient. Record who will fix a defect and take unsafe equipment out of use.
Use suitable hearing protection where required. The assessor should select protection that gives enough attenuation without causing overprotection or making essential communication unsafe. Check fit and condition. Earplugs in a pocket do not protect hearing, and a hard hat/earmuff combination must work as intended. HSE cautions that protectors do not replace source controls. HSE hearing protection.
Make the work understandable. Agree visual or other signals where normal speech will not be heard. Check that warning alarms remain effective. Give workers a route to report ringing ears, muffled hearing or difficulty hearing speech privately, and to access any required health surveillance. Do not diagnose a hearing condition during the group talk.
Ask workers
- Which task is loudest and who else will be nearby when it runs?
- What quieter method or source control is actually in place today?
- What hearing protection is specified, and how do you check it fits and is undamaged?
- How will you hear or see the stop signal in the noisy area?
- What if another crew starts a noisy task or the duration doubles?
If the assessment or controls no longer match, pause and ask the responsible person to revise them.
Attendance and actions
| Name/role | Noise controls and warning route understood | Question/action | Acknowledgement |
|---|---|---|---|
| [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] |
Outcome [controls verified / task held]; action owner [ ]; follow-up [ ]; assessment version [ ].
Example: intermittent cutting near occupied rooms
A contractor plans to cut metal in a corridor near occupied rooms. The crew checks whether pre-cut components or a quieter method can avoid the task. It schedules the remaining cutting, segregates the area, selects controls and confirms how a stop signal will be seen or heard. A worker who also used a breaker earlier is considered in the day's exposure assessment. The talk does not infer exposure from how the machine “sounds” to one person.
Common mistakes
- Issuing ear defenders while leaving avoidable noise sources unchanged.
- Treating a spot reading as daily personal exposure.
- Assuming louder protection is always better without considering communication.
- Ignoring intermittent work by other trades or combined tasks in a shift.
- Collecting signatures when the specified quieter tool or enclosure is missing.
Source, ownership and writer-side QA
Primary sources: HSE employer legal duties; HSE assessing risks; HSE controlling risks; HSE hearing protection. Reviewed 6 October 2026. Daily/weekly action-value distinction retained; no site result or protector rating invented. Ownership: No exact noise talk in the observed live toolbox hub; final repository and gated-content search still required. The broader occupational-noise assessment form has a different task. Link/product: The toolbox-talk hub may be linked after whole-page/product QA. Do not claim Complys measures decibels, calculates exposure or selects hearing protection. Disposition: READY writer-side; actual noise assessment and competent controls required for site use.