What is the workplace noise limit in Australia?

The exposure standard for noise (model Work Health and Safety Regulations reg 56) has two parts: an eight-hour equivalent continuous A-weighted level of 85 dB(A) (LAeq,8h), and a peak C-weighted level of 140 dB(C) (LC,peak) for sudden or impact noise. If either limit is exceeded, the noise is too high and the employer (the PCBU) must manage the risk so workers are not exposed above the standard. The 85 dB(A) and 140 dB(C) figures are consistent across Australia, though Victoria and Western Australia run their own WHS laws.

How do I know if workplace noise is too loud?

A simple rough guide: if you have to raise your voice to be understood by someone about a metre away, the noise is likely around or over 85 dB(A) — that is a prompt to get it assessed, not a precise measurement. Impact or sudden noise (hammering, nail guns, anything like a gunshot) can also breach the 140 dB(C) peak limit even when the average seems lower. To know for certain whether the exposure standard is exceeded, the employer should arrange noise measurement by a competent person.

Do I need hearing (audiometric) testing at work?

Audiometric (hearing) testing is required under reg 58 where a worker is frequently required to use hearing protectors to keep within the noise exposure standard. It must be provided within 3 months of the worker starting that work, and then at least every 2 years, at the employer's cost. The exact audiometric-testing rules can differ in Victoria and WA, so check your WHS regulator for what applies where you are.

What does my employer have to do about loud noise?

Where noise is at or over the standard, the employer must manage the risk using the hierarchy of controls (reg 57): first try to eliminate the noise; if not, reduce it at the source with quieter plant and processes, maintenance, isolating or enclosing noisy equipment, barriers and damping, and separating the noise from workers. Hearing protection (earmuffs or earplugs) is the last line of defence, not the first, and does not remove the duty to reduce noise at the source so far as is reasonably practicable.

Do the noise rules differ in Victoria and Western Australia?

The 85 dB(A) and 140 dB(C) exposure standard is consistent across Australia. But Victoria runs its own Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and Western Australia its own Work Health and Safety Act 2020, so the exact regulation numbers and the audiometric-testing rules can differ there. Check your WHS regulator — WorkSafe Victoria or WorkSafe WA — for the detail that applies to you.

Workplace Noise Exposure Checker

Check workplace noise against the exposure standard, when hearing protection and audiometric testing are required under the WHS Regs.

Last verified: 21 June 2026Jump to calculator ↓

The exposure standard for workplace noise (model WHS Regulations reg 56) is 85 dB(A) averaged over an eight-hour day (LAeq,8h) and 140 dB(C) for peak or impact noise (LC,peak). If either is exceeded the noise is too high and your employer must manage the risk using the hierarchy of controls (reg 57). A rough guide that it may be over the standard: if you have to raise your voice to be heard about a metre away — but that is a prompt to measure, not a measurement. Where workers frequently wear hearing protection to stay within the standard, audiometric (hearing) testing is required within 3 months of starting and at least every 2 years (reg 58).

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