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Spécial “ Noise at work 2007 ”
5
Acoustique
&
Techniques n° 49
Leading article
Scopes and Objectives of the Lille Forum
Around 60 million employees in Europe are exposed to
potentially dangerous levels of noise for at least a quarter of their
work time. Besides, noise-induced hearing loss is still accounting
for about one third of all work-related diseases. In 2005, the
European Week for Safety and Health at Work focused on the
issue of noise at work, under the slogan, “Stop that noise!”.
The Closing Event organized in December 2005 in Bilbao by
the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work attracted
500 participants and stressed the need for increasing efforts.
The 2003/10/EC Directive on minimum health and safety
requirements for noise exposure is currently being transposed
in all Member States. Themain changes brought by the Directive
are the more stringent action levels (which are lowered from
85 dBA and 90 dBA to 80 dBA and 85 dBA respectively), as
well as the introduction of a noise exposure limit of 87 dBA.
During the last three decades, considerable knowledge
has been gained in understanding the noise production of
machines and processes, leading to significant improvements
in reducing sound levels in several sectors of industry or
services. As a result, practical solutions, that often involve only
modest expenses, have been developed in the various sectors
involved. However, wide-ranging diffusion of this knowledge
has not yet been achieved.
In organizing this very first European Forum, INCE/Europe,
CIDB and Association AINF want to contribute to the
dissemination of knowledge in all sectors where occupational
noise is an issue and bring solution providers and potential
users more closer together, through the following objectives:
• reviewing the basic rules for noise control applied to sources,
machines and buildings,
• gathering and disseminating rules of good practice
already existing in the main sectors of industry and services,
• illustrating the effectiveness of newmaterials and systems for
noise control at work, including advanced hearing protections,
• offering a platform of exchanges between individuals
wi thin simi lar sectors and also inducing cross
fertilization among sectors, industries and research,
• initiating new dissemination processes.
The technical programme includes 175 papers given in
5 parallel sessions (with an English-French simultaneous
translation). Those papers have been selected from the
220 proposals coming from authors of over 30 countries.
Moreover two plenary sessions will be organized to cover in
the form of round table and debate 2 major aspects:
- Managing occupational noise: a key societal issue, a shared
responsibility.
- Reports from sessions and actions that should be undertaken
in the near future.
This three-day event has received the patronnage of EAA,
International INCE, SFA as well or the support from French
Ministries of Labour and Culture, Région Nord-Pas de Calais,
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and many
other national institutions linked to Health and Safety at work.
The success of this Forum is also strongly linked to the
sponsorship of several key industries and to the participation
of 30 exhibitors.
This issue of Acoustique & Techniques includes some samples
of the papers presented to illustrate the broad diversity of the
topics needed to cover the important domain of occupational
work. All the papers are published in the CD rom as well as
their abstracts in both languages.
Jean Tourret
Forum Chairman
A