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Indonesia's workplace noise threshold limit value (nilai ambang batas, NAB) is 85 dBA for 8 hours of exposure a day. The figure comes from the Annex to Permenaker 5/2018, the Manpower Ministry's regulation on occupational safety and health in the work environment. Each 3 dBA increase halves the permitted time: 88 dBA for 4 hours, 91 dBA for 2 hours, and so on. The limit assumes no more than 8 hours of work a day or 40 hours a week. Where measurements exceed it, the employer must control the noise through a hearing loss prevention programme.
This article is for HSE teams and site management at mines, smelters, plantations, and construction projects that run long shifts and rosters.
What is the noise limit under Permenaker 5/2018?
Article 1(7) of Permenaker 5/2018 defines the NAB as a time-weighted average that workers can be exposed to in their daily work without illness or health effects, for no more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. Article 8 lists noise as a physical factor, and the values are set out in Part B of the physical factors section of the Annex.
| Daily exposure time | Noise level (dBA) |
|---|---|
| 8 hours | 85 |
| 4 hours | 88 |
| 2 hours | 91 |
| 1 hour | 94 |
| 30 minutes | 97 |
| 15 minutes | 100 |
| 7.5 minutes | 103 |
| 3.75 minutes | 106 |
| 1.88 minutes | 109 |
| 0.94 minutes | 112 |
The Annex continues in seconds, from 28.12 seconds at 115 dBA down to 0.11 seconds at 139 dBA. In practice, a worker in an area at 94 dBA may be exposed to that level for no more than 1 hour a day.
What the limit does not cover: 12-hour shifts
The table stops at 8 hours. There is no row for 10 or 12 hours, even though 12-hour shifts are standard on roster sites, as covered in our article on fatigue in roster workers. The weekly figure is also easy to exceed. For example, someone working 12-hour shifts seven days in a row works 84 hours a week, more than twice the 40 hours in the NAB definition.
For comparison, the US mining noise standard (MSHA, 30 CFR Part 62) requires a miner's noise dose to cover the full work shift rather than stopping at 8 hours. It is not law in Indonesia and uses different criteria, but measuring the whole shift is a sound practice to adopt.
Which noise sources should you map on site?
Article 10(1) and (2) require measurement and control wherever work equipment produces noise, whether continuous, intermittent, impulsive, or repeated impulsive. Sources that typically need mapping on remote sites include:
- open-pit mines: heavy equipment in the pit, drilling, crushers and screens, and maintenance workshops;
- power plants and gensets, including those installed near the camp;
- smelters: furnace areas, compressors, blowers, and supporting plant;
- palm oil mills: boiler stations, turbines or gensets, and processing machinery;
- construction: piling, cutting concrete or steel, and heavy equipment.
This list is not a set of measurements. Noise levels vary with the equipment, its condition, and distance, so the numbers must come from measuring your own site. Use the resulting map to set mandatory hearing protection zones, sign their boundaries, and plan work time or rotation.
Internal measurement is not enough on its own. Article 59(2) states that internal measurement does not remove the obligation to measure with an external party, and Article 62(1) requires periodic external inspection and testing at least once a year, or as a risk assessment or other regulation dictates. For mining and mineral processing, Annex III of Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial Decree 1827 K/30/MEM/2018 also lists noise management among the minimum elements of work environment management.
What goes into a hearing conservation programme?
Permenaker 5/2018 uses the term hearing loss prevention programme. Under Article 10(4), it consists of:
- removing the noise source from the workplace;
- replacing equipment, materials, and work processes that generate noise;
- installing barriers, sound dampening, or partial or full enclosures;
- limiting noise exposure or organising working hours;
- using suitable personal protective equipment;
- other controls in line with developments in science and technology.
The order follows the hierarchy of controls in Article 7(3), so hearing protection is the last layer. Article 10 does not set out hearing tests, training, or record keeping. For comparison, OSHA (29 CFR 1910.95) and MSHA build their hearing conservation programmes from noise monitoring, hearing protection, audiometric testing, training, and records. The WHO also names workplace hearing conservation programmes as one way to prevent hearing loss, and recommends screening people exposed to noise at work. A site programme should include those five elements alongside the Article 10 controls.
When should roster workers have a baseline audiogram?
The baseline audiogram is the reference for every later test, so it should be done before a worker first enters a noisy area. OSHA requires a baseline within 6 months of first exposure at or above an 85 dBA 8-hour average, preceded by at least 14 hours without workplace noise, followed by a new audiogram at least once a year. Both OSHA and MSHA allow hearing protectors to stand in for that 14-hour quiet period.
A roster site has two practical options:
- test at the point of hire, as part of the pre-employment medical, before the worker travels to site;
- test on the first day on site, before the worker enters a noise zone.
The second option has a catch. If the camp sits near a power plant or gensets, a quiet period before the test is hard to achieve, and noise can reach the testing room at the site clinic as well. We therefore recommend baseline testing at the point of hire where possible. If it has to happen on site, the worker should wear hearing protection from arrival until the test. Also record when each test took place relative to the worker's last shift, so results can be compared year on year.
Decree 1827 calls for periodic health examinations at least once a year and specific examinations matched to each job's exposure risks. Where audiometry fits in periodic medicals is covered in our article on periodic medicals for mine workers.
If an audiogram shows hearing decline
A finding of hearing decline needs a complete follow-up:
- The site clinic explains the result to the worker. For high-risk workers, Decree 1827 says follow-up on examination results begins with informing the worker of their condition.
- A doctor decides whether a retest or specialist referral is needed to confirm the cause.
- The company places the worker in work suited to their condition, then monitors, treats, and rehabilitates them as Decree 1827 requires. Reassignment decisions are covered in our article on fitness for work on site.
- HSE reviews the controls in that worker's area. As a benchmark, MSHA requires retraining, a fresh choice of hearing protector, and a review of how well engineering and administrative controls are working.
- If a doctor diagnoses an occupational disease (penyakit akibat kerja, PAK), the case is recorded and reported.
Presidential Regulation No. 7 of 2019 lists hearing damage caused by noise as an occupational disease. Diagnosis is made by a doctor or specialist competent in occupational health (Article 3), and recording and reporting involve the employer and the treating health facility (Article 5). In mining, Decree 1827 requires the mine's Head of Mining Engineering (KTT) or the person responsible for engineering and environment (PTL) to report occupational diseases promptly to the Chief Mining Inspector (KaIT). A worker diagnosed with an occupational disease is entitled to Work Accident Insurance benefits (JKK), even after employment has ended, provided the disease appears within 3 years of the end of employment (Article 2). A complete audiometry record from the baseline onward helps the doctor judge whether the condition is work-related.
Noise mapping, hearing checks matched to job risks, and medical follow-up are part of our occupational health service. Where testing must be done by an appointed body, we coordinate it and use the results to decide which workers need monitoring.
