Noise, vibration and radiation at work
The physical hazards that cause hearing loss, vascular and nerve damage and cancer — and the instruments that address them.
Last updated: 3 October 2026
Overview
Noise, vibration and radiation are the classic physical hazards of industry. Occupational noise is one of the 19 risk factors in the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates, causing hearing loss worldwide (WHO and ILO, 2021); hand–arm vibration causes vascular and nerve damage; ionising radiation causes cancer. In Georgia the exposed sectors are mining, manufacturing, construction and transport; medical and industrial radiation sources are regulated separately. No occupational hearing loss or vibration disease is recorded in national statistics.
Key figures
19
Occupational risk factors quantified in the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates, including noise
WHO and ILO (2021)
No. 148
ILO Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1977 — not ratified by Georgia
ILO NORMLEX
No. 115
ILO Radiation Protection Convention, 1960 — not ratified by Georgia
ILO NORMLEX
87 dB(A)
EU exposure limit value for daily noise exposure (Directive 2003/10/EC)
EU
Standards
| Instrument | Content | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| ILO Convention No. 148 (1977) | Air pollution, noise and vibration: limits, protection, medical examinations | Not ratified |
| ILO Convention No. 115 (1960) | Protection of workers against ionising radiation | Not ratified |
| EU Directive 2003/10/EC (noise) | Exposure action values 80 and 85 dB(A), limit value 87 dB(A); hearing protection; health surveillance | EU benchmark; not among directives transposed |
| EU Directive 2002/44/EC (vibration) | Exposure action and limit values for hand–arm and whole-body vibration | EU benchmark; not among directives transposed |
| EU Directive 2013/59/Euratom | Basic safety standards for ionising radiation, including occupational exposure | Georgia regulates radiation safety through its nuclear and radiation safety legislation and agency |
| Organic Law on Occupational Safety (2019) | General duty to assess and control risks | In force; no noise or vibration limit values found in published sources |
Public health perspective (WHO)
WHO's work on hearing (the World Report on Hearing, 2021) identifies occupational noise as a leading preventable cause of adult hearing loss, and WHO sets radiation protection standards jointly with the IAEA and other agencies. Hearing loss and radiation-induced disease are recorded, if at all, in general health statistics, not as occupational disease — the same surveillance gap that runs through Georgia's workers' health. Workers' health: the public health perspective.
Data gaps
- No Georgian data on occupational noise exposure, hearing loss, vibration disease or occupational radiation doses.
- No published noise or vibration limit values for workplaces.
- Audiometric surveillance of exposed workers is not a legal requirement in published sources.
Sources
- WHO and ILO (2021). Almost 2 million people die from work-related causes each year. www.who.int
- ILO. Safety and health at work — risk-specific instruments. www.ilo.org
- ETF–Eurofound (2024). Working life in Georgia. www.etf.europa.eu
Figures are from the GILS Evidence Register and the official sources shown. GILS is independent of government, trade unions, employers' organisations and the ILO.
In this section
← OSH hubTwo perspectives: ILO and WHO · National OSH Profile · Normative instruments · International standards · Law and institutions · Accidents and deaths · Occupational diseases · Chemical hazards · Noise, vibration and radiation · Ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders · Psychosocial risks at work · Construction · Mining · Agriculture · Heat and climate · Health workers · Infection and sharps · Violence · Health workers: burn-out · Women at work · Young and older workers · Workplace action and training
GILS analyses on this topic
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