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Directive 2003/10/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 February 2003 on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (noise) (Seventeenth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC)
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1.For the purposes of this Directive the exposure limit values and exposure action values in respect of the daily noise exposure levels and peak sound pressure are fixed at:
(a)exposure limit values: LEX,8h = 87 dB(A) and ppeak = 200 Pa(1) respectively;
(b)upper exposure action values: LEX,8h 85 dB(A) and ppeak = 140 Pa(2) respectively;
(c)lower exposure action values: LEX,8h = 80 dB(A) and ppeak = 112 Pa(3) respectively.
2.When applying the exposure limit values, the determination of the worker's effective exposure shall take account of the attenuation provided by the individual hearing protectors worn by the worker. The exposure action values shall not take account of the effect of any such protectors.
3.In duly justified circumstances, for activities where daily noise exposure varies markedly from one working day to the next, Member States may, for the purposes of applying the exposure limit values and the exposure action values, use the weekly noise exposure level in place of the daily noise exposure level to assess the levels of noise to which workers are exposed, on condition that:
(a)the weekly noise exposure level as shown by adequate monitoring does not exceed the exposure limit value of 87 dB(A); and
(b)appropriate measures are taken in order to reduce the risk associated with these activities to a minimum.
140 dB (C) in relation to 20 μPa.
137 dB (C) in relation to 20 μPa.
135 dB (C) in relation to 20 μPa.
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