The general term “noise abatement” encompasses all measures that serve to protect people in general or workers, in particular, from noise that causes hearing loss or is annoying. The principles of risk prevention set forth in the Labour Protection Act (ArbeitnehmerInnenschutzgesetz, ASchG) apply: This means that noise reduction at source (i.e. buying low-noise machines) take precedence over technological measures, such as room acoustic design or encapsulation, and over person-related measures, such as wearing hearing protection equipment.
