The HSE guidance around the control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 is quite clear and states that you do not necessarily need to measure vibration yourself to be able to control risk and reduce injury from Hand transmitted vibration. There is a rather large ‘Elephant in the room’ here, however, which is the problem... View Article

Dealing with environmental noise complaints Introduction There is no doubt that the best time to deal with a noise complaint is years before it happens! If you’re reading this, it’s probably too late! Good Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes should consider the potential for neighbourhood nuisance, including noise. Building... View Article

Background A method of rating noise for indoor environments (NR Curves) was developed by the International Standards Organization (ISO) for use in various standards where this application was needed. The most current standard that uses NR curves is ISO 1996-1. This general approach was also developed in America, although with a slightly different set of... View Article

Introduction Whole-body vibration (WBV) arises when mechanical oscillations are transmitted through a supporting surface (typically the seat or floor) into a worker’s body. Prolonged or excessive exposure to WBV can lead to health concerns, including aggravation and potentially a cause of lumbar spine disorders, vertebral disc degeneration, and chronic musculoskeletal pain. In compliance with the... View Article

Electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) are all around us and are and unavoidable part of modern life. In fact, some sources are even naturally occurring! The energy levels contained in most waves that pass through your body are so small as to be completely insignificant. There simply isn’t enough energy to interact with anything. This can change... View Article

Introduction Vibration meters come in a wide variety of flavours covering numerous applications, standards and regulatory requirements. Choosing the wrong instrument for the task at hand can render your measurements useless, so it is far better to narrow down your choice first. This guide will run through the many applications and highlight the differences in... View Article

Gas detectors use a broad array of sensor types for different gasses, and it is important to understand the implications of using these and how to ensure reliable and effective use of your gas monitoring equipment.

Castle began its journey in 1971 when the two founders won a tender for the Open University to supply a large quantity of sound indicators. The CS15C was developed and had a dynamic range of 10dB with an overall measurement capability from 60dB to 130dB, so you really needed to know what you were doing... View Article

The Hidden Dangers of Sound! When I learned to ride a motorcycle nearly 20 years ago, no one really considered wearing hearing protection – that was for whimps! I believe the thought was that you were supposed to hear what was going on around you; to take it all in, sights and sounds alike. Now... View Article

The advent of cheap 3/4/5G data modems and data-plans means that equipment such as noise and vibration monitors can now be set out in the environment to collect and report back on a long-term basis with little intervention. This just leaves the responsible person to deal with the data, either by looking at regular intervals... View Article