Noise exposure calculator

Enter the noise level and time for each task in a shift to estimate the worker’s daily exposure and noise dose, compare it with the 85 dB(A) standard and see when hearing tests are needed.

Figures checked 5 November 2026. Free to use, no sign-in.

Victoria and Western Australia have their own Acts; the tool switches to them.

Noise during the shift

dB(A)
hours
dB(A)
hours
dB(A)
hours
dB(A)
hours

Enter the A-weighted level for each task and how long the worker spends at it in a shift (0.25 = 15 minutes). Leave unused rows blank.

Peaks and protection

dB(C)

The C-weighted peak from impact noise, such as hammering or nail guns.

Do workers have to wear hearing protection because noise is over the standard?

Daily noise exposure

LAeq,8h

86.7 dB(A)

Over the exposure standard

Noise dose
149%
Hours entered
8
Reduce by
1.7 dB

Exposure standard

85 dB(A) averaged over 8 hours (LAeq,8h), and a peak of 140 dB(C). Exceeding either is over the standard. Every 3 dB above 85 doubles the dose.

Audiometric testing

Audiometric testing applies where a worker is frequently required to wear hearing protection against noise over the standard: within 3 months of starting the work and at least every 2 years (r 58).

Source: r 56–58 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW).

  • Exposure over the standard must be brought under it. Work down the hierarchy of controls: eliminate or substitute the noise source, isolate or engineer it (enclosures, barriers, damping, maintenance), then administrative controls, with hearing protection last (r 57 and Part 3.1).
  • NSW: hearing tests under clause 58 started on 1 January 2024. Workers employed before that date had to have a baseline test before 1 January 2026.
  • This is an estimate from the levels you enter. Only measurement by a competent person under AS/NZS 1269.1 shows whether the standard is actually exceeded.

General information, not legal or safety advice. An estimate, not a measurement.

How this works

The maths: LAeq,8h = 10 × log10( Σ hours × 10^(level ÷ 10) ÷ 8 ). Noise dose is 100% at 85 dB(A) and doubles with every 3 dB. Shifts longer than 8 hours are handled by the same formula, because the total sound energy is spread over the 8-hour reference.

The standard: r 56–57 of the WHS Regulations in every state and territory except Victoria, which has the same 85 dB(A) and 140 dB(C) limits in its OHS Regulations. The result is an estimate from the levels you enter, not a measurement under AS/NZS 1269.1.

Hearing tests: r 58 (and Queensland s 58, NSW clause 58 from 1 January 2024), or r 37 in Victoria.

Legal basis

Checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Tell us.

Questions

What is the workplace noise exposure standard?

An eight-hour equivalent continuous level (LAeq,8h) of 85 dB(A), or a C-weighted peak of 140 dB(C). It is set by r 56 of the WHS Regulations and by Victoria’s OHS Regulations. The noise a worker is exposed to must not exceed it.

How is daily exposure worked out?

Each task’s level is converted to sound energy, weighted by the hours spent at it, added up and averaged over 8 hours. Because the scale is logarithmic, every 3 dB increase doubles the energy, so 88 dB(A) for 8 hours is twice the standard and 91 dB(A) for just 2 hours uses almost the whole day’s allowance.

Does hearing protection bring a worker under the standard?

Hearing protection is the last control, used only for noise that remains after eliminating, substituting, isolating or engineering out the source. In Victoria, hearing protectors are ignored when deciding whether the standard is exceeded.

When is audiometric testing required?

Where a worker has to use hearing protection against noise over the standard: within 3 months of starting that work and at least every 2 years. Most states apply this to workers frequently required to wear protection; Queensland to any worker required to wear it.

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