The assessment of personal noise exposure in the workplace today requires an even more rigorous approach, especially when the goal is to realistically describe a worker’s exposure throughout the entire shift. With ISO 9612:2025, the issue of measurement representativeness becomes even more central.

In many industrial contexts, the most robust solution is represented by full-day measurements, i.e. monitoring personal noise exposure over the entire working day or over a sufficiently representative portion of the shift. In this scenario, personal noise dosimeters become essential tools.

ISO 9612:2025 is the technical reference standard for determining occupational noise exposure. One of the most relevant operational aspects is the need to obtain results that credibly describe the worker’s real exposure.

When activities change throughout the day, when workers move between different departments, or when noise sources are not constant, a short measurement or one limited to single tasks may not be sufficient to correctly represent exposure levels.

Full-day measurements instead allow you to:

• follow the worker during the actual shift

• include operational variations, breaks, movements, and task changes

• reduce the risk of underestimating or overestimating exposure

• obtain more robust data for noise risk assessment

• more effectively support the Risk Assessment Document (DVR) under D.Lgs. 81/08

A full-day measurement refers to a monitoring strategy in which the worker wears a personal dosimeter for a large portion of the shift or for the entire working day, in order to record the actual sound exposure under real operational conditions.

This approach is particularly useful when:

• the job is not strictly repetitive

• the work cycle varies during the day

• the worker alternates between different tasks

• intermittent or unpredictable noise events are present

• exposure depends on variable production conditions

In these cases, full-day dosimetry allows for a more realistic assessment compared to spot measurements or simplified estimates.

If the focus is measuring the worker’s real exposure during the shift, noise dosimeters are not an accessory, but the core of the measurement campaign.

The personal dosimeter allows you to:

• measure exposure directly on the worker

• record noise variation over time

• correlate sound levels with performed activities

• compare different operators or tasks within the same day

• collect more representative data in complex environments

The use of multiple dosimeters within the same shift is particularly advantageous for companies with multiple departments, several exposed operators, or multiple homogeneous groups to be analysed.

In many industrial, craft, or logistics environments, noise exposure is not constant. There are high-intensity phases, waiting periods, movements, auxiliary tasks, and significant differences between seemingly similar operators.

In these cases, relying only on short measurements can lead to poorly representative results. The risk is obtaining data that is formally included in the report but of limited use in understanding the real exposure profile.

Full-day measurements are often the best choice when it is necessary to:

• describe the actual shift

• compare workers with variable tasks

• assess departments with strong operational discontinuity

• update outdated assessments or those based on weak data

• support technical, organisational, and preventive decisions

AC Acustica supports companies, RSPP, HSE managers, and safety consultants in the assessment of workplace noise risk, with a particular focus on the most representative and technically robust measurement campaigns.

Thanks to an expanded instrumentation set including 6 personal dosimeters, AC Acustica can perform full-day measurements on multiple operators simultaneously, with concrete advantages:

• simultaneous monitoring of multiple tasks

• comparison between departments and homogeneous groups

• faster measurement campaigns

• more robust data for personal noise exposure assessment

• better support for updating assessments under D.Lgs. 81/08

This approach is particularly suitable for:

• manufacturing companies

• industrial plants

• workshops

• logistics operations

• maintenance activities

• construction sites

• activities with shifts or variable production cycles

A full-day measurement campaign is often recommended when:

• exposure changes during the shift

• the worker performs different tasks within the same day

• multiple operators must be analysed simultaneously

• the existing assessment is not sufficiently representative

• machines, layout, shifts, or work organisation have changed

With ISO 9612:2025, the quality of noise exposure assessment increasingly depends on the ability to measure truly representative conditions. When shifts are variable and exposure is not constant, full-day measurements are often the most reliable solution.

In this context, the availability of multiple personal dosimeters improves data quality, speeds up measurement campaigns, and enables the analysis of multiple workers within the same period.

AC Acustica is able to meet these needs with a specialised approach and with a set of 6 dosimeters dedicated to personal noise exposure assessment.

If you would like to verify whether your noise risk assessment still reflects real operational conditions, AC Acustica can support you in defining the most appropriate measurement campaign.