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United Kingdom Statutory Instruments |
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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> United Kingdom Statutory Instruments >> The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Control of Noise at Work) Regulations 2007 No. 3075 URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/legis/num_reg/2007/20073075.html |
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Made | 25th October 2007 | ||
Laid before Parliament | 31st October 2007 | ||
Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1 |
Interpretation
2.
—(1) In these Regulations–
(2) In these Regulations a reference to the provision of music and entertainment on ships is a reference to ships where live or recorded music is played or any other form of entertainment is provided where such music or entertainment is or is likely to expose workers on that ship to noise levels exceeding the lower exposure action values.
(3) In these Regulations any reference to—
which is considered by the Secretary of State to be relevant from time to time and is specified in a Merchant Shipping Notice.
Meaning of "worker"
3.
—(1) In these Regulations, "worker" means any person employed under a contract of employment, including a trainee or apprentice other than a person who is training in a vessel which is being used—
and which is operating under a relevant code.
(2) In paragraph (1) "relevant code" means—
(3) In paragraph (2) each reference to a Code includes a reference to any document containing an amendment or replacement of that Code which is considered by the Secretary of State to be relevant from time to time.
Application
4.
—(1) Without prejudice to regulation 5 of the General Duties Regulations and subject to paragraphs (2) to (6), these Regulations apply in relation to United Kingdom ships.
(2) Where—
(3) To the extent that a provision of these Regulations does not apply in relation to a ship because of paragraph (2) there is in relation to that ship a duty on the employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who are or who are likely to be exposed to risks from noise as a result of their work.
(4) The provisions of the General Duties Regulations and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 2006 shall continue to apply to activities to which these Regulations apply; where these Regulations contain more stringent or specific provisions then such provisions shall apply.
(5) This regulation (other than paragraph (1)) and regulations 18 and 20 apply in relation to ships which are not United Kingdom ships, when they are in United Kingdom waters.
(6) These regulations shall not apply to activities to which the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005[10] or the Control of Noise at Work (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2006[11] apply.
(7) In paragraph (2)—
Exposure limit values and exposure action values
5.
—(1) The lower exposure action values are—
(2) The upper exposure action values are—
(3) The exposure limit values are—
(4) Subject to paragraph (5), where, as a result of activities, the exposure of an employee to noise varies markedly from day to day, an employer may use weekly personal noise exposure in place of daily noise exposure for the purpose of compliance with these Regulations.
(5) Where an employer uses weekly noise exposure levels in accordance with paragraph (4) appropriate measures must be taken in order to reduce the risk associated with the relevant activities to as low as is reasonably practicable.
(6) In applying the lower and upper exposure action values, no account shall be taken of attenuation provided by individual hearing protectors provided by the employer to be worn by the worker.
(7) In applying the exposure limit values, account shall be taken of attenuation provided by individual hearing protectors provided by the employer to be worn by the worker.
Assessment of risks
6.
—(1) The employer shall assess the level of noise to which workers are exposed as part of the risk assessment required by regulation 7 of the General Duties Regulations.
(2) The risk assessment—
(b) shall determine, in accordance with paragraphs (6) and (7) respectively of regulation 4, whether the exposure action values and the exposure limit values are exceeded;
(c) may use sampling which is representative of the personal exposure of workers as a method of determining risk; and
(d) if necessary, shall be based on measurement of level of noise to which workers are likely to be exposed.
(3) Without prejudice to the generality of regulation 7 of the General Duties Regulations, in carrying out the risk assessment the employer shall consider—
(4) The employer shall ensure that the risk assessment—
so as to permit consultation as required by these Regulations;
(c) is reviewed—
(d) is retained by him.
Elimination or control of exposure to noise in the workplace
7.
—(1) The employer shall ensure that the risks arising from exposure to noise which are identified by the risk assessment are either—
(2) If the risk assessment shows that the upper exposure action values are exceeded, the employer shall establish and implement a programme of technical or organisational measures (or both) which is appropriate to that activity to reduce the exposure of workers to noise..
(3) Actions taken by an employer to comply with paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be based on the principles in regulation 5 of the General Duties Regulations; such actions shall take into consideration—
(f) appropriate maintenance programmes for work equipment, the workplace and workplace systems; and
(g) organisation of work schedules so as to limit the duration and intensity of exposure to noise and provide adequate rest periods.
(4) The employer shall ensure that workers are not exposed to noise exceeding the exposure limit values specified in regulation 5(3).
(5) Following implementation of the organisational and technical measures taken in accordance with paragraph (2) if exposures above the exposure limit value are detected, the employer shall—
(6) Noise in accommodation and rest spaces shall be reduced to a level compatible with their purpose and use.
(7) The employer shall adapt measures which are taken in accordance with this regulation to workers who are particularly sensitive to noise.
(8) The employers shall consult the workers concerned or their representatives on the measures to be taken to comply with this regulation.
Hearing protection
8.
—(1) Without prejudice to the provisions in regulation 6, an employer shall make personal hearing protectors available to any worker who is or is likely to be exposed to noise above a lower exposure action value.
(2) Without prejudice to the provisions in regulation 6, an employer shall ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that all workers who are exposed to noise which is at or above an upper exposure action value shall use personal hearing protectors.
(3) If in any area of the ship under the control of the employer a worker is likely to be exposed to noise at or above an upper exposure action value for any reason, the employer shall ensure that—
(4) Any personal hearing protectors provided in accordance with this regulation shall be selected by the employer so as to eliminate the risk to hearing or to reduce the risk to as low a level as is reasonably practicable; such personal hearing protectors shall comply with the requirements of the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Personal Protective Equipment) Regulations 1999[12].
Worker information and training
9.
—(1) If the risk assessment indicates that workers are exposed to noise at or above the lower exposure action value the employer shall provide those workers and their representatives with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training.
(2) Information, instruction and training provided in accordance with paragraph (1) shall include—
Health surveillance
10.
—(1) If the risk assessment indicates that there is a risk to the health of his workers who are, or are likely to be, exposed to noise, the employer shall ensure that such workers are kept under health surveillance in accordance with paragraph (2).
(2) Health surveillance shall be provided by the employer as follows—
(3) Where, as a result of health surveillance a worker is found to have identifiable hearing damage a doctor or such specialist as a doctor considers appropriate, shall assess whether the damage is likely to be the result of exposure to noise at work.
(4) If it is found in accordance with paragraph (3) that hearing damage is likely to have been the result of exposure to noise at work the employer shall—
(5) The employer shall ensure that a health record is made and maintained in respect of each worker who undergoes health surveillance in accordance with these Regulations, the record being in a suitable form and containing a summary of the results of the health surveillance carried out.
(6) The employer shall—
(7) The employer shall pay the costs of health surveillance carried out in order to comply with this regulation.
Consultation with workers
11.
In consulting with workers in accordance with regulation 20 of the General Duties Regulations, workers or their representatives shall be consulted on matters covered by regulations 6 to 10 of these Regulations and in particular on—
Persons on whom duties are imposed
12.
—(1) Where a person on whom a duty is imposed by any of the preceding provisions of these Regulations does not have control of the matter to which that provision relates because that person does not have responsibility for the operation of the ship, that duty also extends to any other person who has control of that matter.
(2) It shall be the duty of every worker performing activities to which these Regulations apply to—
Exemptions
13.
—(1) The Secretary of State may grant an exemption from compliance with regulations 7(4) and (5) and 8(1) and (2) in respect of work on a particular ship where because of the nature of the work the full and proper use of personal hearing protectors would be likely to cause a greater risk to health or safety than not using such protectors.
(2) The Secretary of State may not grant an exemption under paragraph (1) unless—
(b) health surveillance has been increased to a level considered appropriate by the Secretary of State.
(3) Any exemption granted under this regulation shall–
Offences and penalties
14.
—(1) A person who fails to comply with regulation 6, 7 or 10 is guilty of an offence and liable –
(2) A person who fails to comply with regulation 8 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.
(3) A person who fails to comply with regulation 11 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.
(4) A person who fails to comply with regulation 9 or contravenes regulation 22 is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(5) A worker who fails to comply with the obligations in regulation 12(2) shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.
(6) Section 146(1) of the Act (enforcement of fines) applies to any fine imposed for an offence under paragraphs (1) to (4) of this regulation as if the reference to proceedings against the owner or master of a ship for an offence under Chapter 2 were a reference to proceedings against any person for an offence under those paragraphs.
Offences by body corporate
15.
—(1) Where a body corporate is guilty of an offence under these Regulations and that offence is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to have been attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or a person who was purporting to act in such a capacity, he as well as the body corporate is guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(2) Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, the preceding paragraph shall apply in relation to the acts and defaults of a member in connection with his functions of management as if he were a director of the body corporate.
(3) Where an offence under these Regulations committed by a Scottish partnership is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to have been attributable to any neglect on the part of, a partner, that partner as well as the partnership is guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
Onus of proving what is reasonably practicable
16.
In any proceedings for an offence under these Regulations consisting of a failure to comply with a duty or requirement to do something so far as is reasonably practicable, it shall be for the defendant to prove that it was not reasonably practicable to do more than was in fact done to satisfy the duty or requirement.
Detention of a United Kingdom ship
17.
—(1) Where a surveyor of ships is satisfied that there is or has been a failure by an employer or other person referred to in regulation 12(1) to comply in relation to any United Kingdom ship with the preceding requirements of these Regulations, that ship is liable to be detained until a surveyor of ships is satisfied that those requirements are complied with.
(2) A surveyor of ships may permit a ship which is liable to be detained under paragraph (1) to proceed to sea for the purposes of proceeding to the nearest appropriate repair yard.
(3) A ship shall not be delayed or detained unreasonably under this regulation.
(4) Where a ship is detained because in relation to it there has been a failure to comply with the requirements of these Regulations, and that failure has ceased, a person having power to detain the ship shall, at the request of the owner or master, immediately release the ship—
by or on behalf of the employer or other person having control of the matter in question;
(d) where the employer or other person having control of the matter in question is convicted of an offence arising from the failure in question, if any costs or expenses ordered to be paid by him, and any fine imposed on him, have been paid; or
(e) the release is ordered by a court or tribunal referred to in article 292 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982[13], and any bond or other financial security ordered by such court or tribunal is posted.
(5) The Secretary of State shall repay any sum paid in pursuance of paragraph (4)(c) or release any security so given—
(6) Where a sum has been paid, or security has been given, by any person in pursuance of paragraph (4)(c) above and the employer or other person having control of the matter in question is convicted of an offence arising from the failure in question, the sum so paid or the amount made available under the security shall be applied as follows—
(7) Section 145 of the Act (interpretation of section 144) applies for the purposes of paragraphs (4) to (6) as if –
Inspection and other measures in respect of ships registered outside the United Kingdom
18.
—(1) When a ship which is not a United Kingdom ship is in United Kingdom waters, a relevant inspector may inspect that ship to ascertain whether the standards required in relation to United Kingdom ships by these Regulations are met in relation to that ship.
(2) Where a surveyor of ships is satisfied that the standards required in relation to United Kingdom ships by these Regulations are not met in relation to a ship which is not a United Kingdom ship but is in United Kingdom waters, that surveyor of ships may—
(3) A ship to which paragraph (2)(b) applies is liable to be detained until a surveyor of ships is satisfied that those conditions are rectified.
(4) A surveyor of ships may permit a ship which is liable to be detained under paragraph (3) to proceed to sea for the purposes of proceeding to the nearest appropriate repair yard.
(5) If any of the measures specified in paragraph (2)(b) or (3) are taken, the surveyor of ships shall immediately notify the nearest maritime, consular or diplomatic representative of the State whose flag the ship is entitled to fly.
(6) A ship shall not in the exercise of the power under this regulation be delayed or detained unreasonably.
(7) In paragraph (1), "relevant inspector" means a person mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of section 258(1) of the Act[14].
Application of powers of inspectors in relation to Government ships
19.
Sections 258 to 266 of the Act[15] apply to these Regulations as if they were for all purposes made under section 85 of the Act and accordingly those sections apply in relation to Government ships.
Enforcement of detention
20.
—(1) Section 284 of the Act applies where a ship is liable to be detained under these Regulations as if—
(2) Where a ship is liable to be detained under these Regulations, the person detaining the ship shall serve on the master of the ship a detention notice which shall—
Right of appeal and compensation
21.
Regulations 11 and 12 (right of appeal and compensation) of the Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 1995[16] (which by virtue of regulation 19 of those Regulations apply in relation to the exercise of powers of detention contained in safety regulations) apply in relation to a detention notice served on a Government ship under these Regulations as if these Regulations were for all purposes made under section 85 of the Act.
Prohibition on Levy
22.
No charge in respect of anything done or provided in pursuance of any specific requirement of these Regulations shall be levied or permitted to be levied on any worker.
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport
Jim Fitzpatrick
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Transport
25th October 2007
These Regulations are made under the powers in the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 except in respect of their application to Government ships where the power is provided by section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972.
Copies of British Standard BS EN ISO 1999:1990 are obtainable from British Standards Institution, BSI House, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL.
A Regulatory Impact Assessment and a Transposition Note have been prepared and a copy has been placed in the Library of each House of Parliament. Copies can be obtained from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1EG (telephone number 02380 329100).
Merchant Shipping Notices can be obtained from Mail Marketing (Scotland), Unit 6, Bloomsgrove Industrial Estate, Norton Street, Nottingham, NG7 3JG (telephone 0115 901 3336; fax 0115 901 3334; e-mail orders: [email protected]). They may also be accessed via the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website http://www.mcga.gov.uk.
[4] Sections 85 and 86 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 were amended by the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (c.28), section 8back
[5] S.I. 1997/2962 amended by S.I. 1998/2411 and S.I. 2001/54back
[7] Published by the Stationery Office in 1993 (ISBN 0-11-551184-9).back
[8] Published by the Stationery Office in 1993 (ISBN 0-11-551185-7).back
[9] Published by the Stationery Office in 1999 (ISBN 9-11-551812-6).back
[11] S.R. (NI) 2006 No. 1.back
[14] Section 258(1) was amended by the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (c.28), sections 9 and 29(2), Schedule 1 paragraph 4 and Schedule 9 Part I.back
[15] These sections provide powers to inspect ships and their equipment, powers of inspectors in relation to premises and ships, for the service of improvement notices and prohibition notices and their reference to arbitration , compensation for invalid prohibition notices and offences.back
[16] S.I. 1995/3128, as amended by S.I. 2003/1636 and other amendments which are not relevant to these Regulations.back