Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“daily personal noise exposure” means the level of daily personal noise exposure of an employee as ascertained in accordance with Schedule 1 Part 1, taking account of the level of noise and the duration of exposure and covering all noise;

“emergency services” include—

(a)

police, fire, rescue and ambulance services;

(b)

Her Majesty’s Coastguard;

“enforcing authority” means the Executive or local authority, determined in accordance with the provisions of the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1998(1);

“the Executive” means the Health and Safety Executive;

“exposure limit value” means the level of daily or weekly personal noise exposure or of peak sound pressure set out in regulation 4 which must not be exceeded;

“health surveillance” means assessment of the state of health of an employee, as related to exposure to noise;

“lower exposure action value” means the lower of the two levels of daily or weekly personal noise exposure or of peak sound pressure set out in regulation 4 which, if reached or exceeded, require specified action to be taken to reduce risk;

“the music and entertainment sectors” mean all workplaces where—

(a)

live music is played; or

(b)

recorded music is played in a restaurant, bar, public house, discotheque or nightclub, or alongside live music or a live dramatic or dance performance;

“noise” means any audible sound;

“peak sound pressure” means the maximum sound pressure to which an employee is exposed, ascertained in accordance with Schedule 2;

“risk assessment” means the assessment of risk required by regulation 5;

“upper exposure action value” means the higher of the two levels of daily or weekly personal noise exposure or of peak sound pressure set out in regulation 4 which, if reached or exceeded, require specified action to be taken to reduce risk;

“weekly personal noise exposure” means the level of weekly personal noise exposure as ascertained in accordance with Schedule 1 Part 2, taking account of the level of noise and the duration of exposure and covering all noise; and

“working day” means a daily working period, irrespective of the time of day when it begins or ends, and of whether it begins or ends on the same calendar day.

(2) In these Regulations, a reference to an employee being exposed to noise is a reference to the exposure of that employee to noise which arises while he is at work, or arises out of or in connection with his work.