Regulation 2 InterpretationI1I2

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—

  1. (a)

     police, fire, rescue and ambulance services;

  2. (b)

     Her Majesty’s Coastguard;

• “enforcing authority” means the Executive or district council, determined in accordance with the provisions of the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999^f1;

• “the Executive” means the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland;

• “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” means all workplaces where—

  1. (a)

     live music is played; or

  2. (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;

• “ship” includes every description of vessel used in navigation;

• “territorial sea” means the territorial sea of the United Kingdom adjacent to Northern Ireland and “within the territorial sea” includes on, over and under it;

• “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.

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.