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Noise and Vibration Measurement at Work: Exposure Limits
Noise is the most common occupational disease, hand-arm and whole-body vibration a musculoskeletal and circulation disorder. This article summarises the method, limit-alert values, personal dose calculation and control order.
Noise and vibration are the most frequent physical exposures in the workplace. Noise is the first cause of permanent hearing loss; hand-arm and whole-body vibration is the vehicle of white-finger syndrome, back damage and circulation disorders. Neither can be managed without measurement: the limit, the alert value and the personal dose speak the common language of engineering measurement.
The Language of Measurement
| Agent | Magnitude | Common threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Noise | Daily exposure (dB(A), Leq) | Alert 80, limit 85 dB(A) |
| Hand-arm vibration | A(8) m/s² | Alert 2.5, limit 5 m/s² |
| Whole-body vibration | VDOE m/s² | Alert 0.5, limit 1.0 m/s² |
For noise the source power, room reflection and duration are measured together; the personal dose comes from the dosimeter carried all day. For vibration the tool-machine-posture combination turns into a dose via A(8). What decides the measurement is not the room but whether the worker-source-intensity is truly represented.
Control Order: Engineering First
The regulatory duty order is clear: first suppression at source (quieter tool, balancing, isolation pad, silencer), then path cutting (acoustic cabin, barrier, resonance insulation), last personal protection (muff-plug, anti-vibration glove) and duration-intensity limit. The fit of the ear protector SNR to room noise joins the vibration-balance measurement inside the machine-tool examination. On the plant side the HVAC system control catches fan-source frequencies and airflow complaints.
Binding to a Programme
- Job-task-dose profile inventory; which worker is exposed to which source how long is clear.
- Periodic measurement plan (change-failure-renewal trigger); trend tracking with analysis output.
- On exceedance, correction-verification; ear-PPE training-compliance audit coordinated with health surveillance.
Noise advances silently, hearing loss does not return. So treat measurement not as a report made once and forgotten but as a living programme updated with the changing machines.
Author: KYF Test Engineering Team • Last updated: September 2026