Businesses have been slow to respond to imminent legal changes affecting noise at work, according to Norwich Union (NU).
The insurer said it has found only a handful of have adequately prepared for the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 which come into effect on 6th April.
Phil Grace, NU's casualty risk manager said: “Though requests for Norwich Union Risk Services' courses on noise and vibration are greater this year than last, the demand for knowledge about the new regulations could only be called a trickle rather than a surge.”
Following on from the EU Physical Agents (Noise) Directive, the new regulations will lower the threshold of how many decibels are considered acceptable in the workplace. Under existing health and safety legislation, businesses issued with improvement notices for noise can end up in court if they don't comply.
