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)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 137(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1, submitted after consultation with the Advisory Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work,
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee2,

Having consulted the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty3, in the light of the joint text approved by the Conciliation Committee on 8 November 2002,

Whereas:

(1)

Under the Treaty, the Council may adopt, by means of directives, minimum requirements for encouraging improvements, especially in the working environment, to guarantee a better level of protection of the health and safety of workers. Such directives are to avoid imposing administrative, financial and legal constraints in a way which would hold back the creation and development of small and medium-sized undertakings.

(2)

While, in accordance with the Treaty, this Directive does not prevent any Member State from maintaining or introducing more stringent protective measures, its implementation should not serve to justify any regression in relation to the situation which already prevails in each Member State.

(3)
Council Directive 86/188/EEC of 12 May 1986 on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to noise at work4 made provision for its re-examination by the Council on a proposal from the Commission and with a view to reducing the risks concerned, taking into account in particular progress made in scientific knowledge and technology.
(4)
The communication from the Commission on its programme concerning safety, hygiene and health at work5 provides for the adoption of measures to promote safety at work, particularly with a view to extending the scope of Directive 86/188/EEC and the re-evaluation of the threshold values. The Council, in its resolution of 21 December 1987 on safety, hygiene and health at work6, took note of this.
(5)
The communication from the Commission concerning its action programme relating to the implementation of the Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers provides for the introduction of minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks caused by physical agents. In September 1990 the European Parliament adopted a resolution concerning this action programme7, inviting the Commission in particular to draw up a specific directive on the risks caused by noise and vibration and by any other physical agent at the workplace.
(6)
As a first step, the European Parliament and the Council adopted on 25 June 2002 Directive 2002/44/EC on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (vibration) (sixteenth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC)8.
(7)

As a second step, it is considered appropriate to introduce measures protecting workers from the risks arising from noise owing to its effects on the health and safety of workers, in particular damage to hearing. These measures are intended not only to ensure the health and safety of each worker on an individual basis, but also to create a minimum basis of protection for all Community workers in order to avoid possible distortions of competition.

(8)

Current scientific knowledge of the effects which exposure to noise may have on health and safety is not sufficient to enable precise exposure levels covering all risks to health and safety, especially as regards the effects of noise other than those of an auditory nature, to be set.

(9)

A system of protection against noise must limit itself to a definition, free of excessive detail, of the objectives to be attained, the principles to be observed and the fundamental values to be used, in order to enable Member States to apply the minimum requirements in an equivalent manner.

(10)
The level of exposure to noise can be more effectively reduced by incorporating preventive measures into the design of work stations and places of work and by selecting work equipment, procedures and methods so as to give priority to reducing the risks at source. Provisions relating to work equipment and methods thus contribute to the protection of the workers involved. In accordance with the general principles of prevention as laid down in Article 6(2) of Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work9, collective protection measures have priority over individual protection measures.
(11)

The Code on noise levels on board ships of the International Maritime Organisation Resolution A 468(12) provides guidance for achieving a reduction of noise at source on board ships. Member States should be entitled to provide for a transitional period with regard to the personnel on board seagoing vessels.

(12)

In order to correctly assess the exposure of workers to noise it is useful to apply an objective measuring method, and thus references to the generally recognised standard ISO 1999:1990 are made. The assessed or objectively measured values should be decisive for initiating the actions envisaged at the lower and upper exposure action values. Exposure limit values are needed to avoid irreversible damage to workers' hearing; the noise reaching the ear should be kept below the exposure limit values.

(13)

The particular characteristics of the music and entertainment sectors require practical guidance to allow for an effective application of the provisions laid down by this Directive. Member States should be entitled to make use of a transitional period for the development of a code of conduct providing for practical guidelines which would help workers and employers in those sectors to attain the levels of protection established in this Directive.

(14)

Employers should make adjustments in the light of technical progress and scientific knowledge regarding risks related to exposure to noise, with a view to improving the health and safety protection of workers.

(15)

Since this Directive is an individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC, that Directive applies to the exposure of workers to noise, without prejudice to more stringent and/or specific provisions contained in this Directive.

(16)

This Directive constitutes a practical step towards creating the social dimension of the internal market.

(17)
The measures necessary for the implementation of this Directive should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission10,

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