Have you or any of your employees ever heard ringing in their ears. If you have encountered this condition, then you have Tinnitus, a permanent hearing loss resulting from exposure to loud noises.
Every day, employees are exposed to loud noises in the workplace, from loud machinery to power tools. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has put out guidelines for noise exposure limits. As with most hazardous exposures, OSHA specifies the amount of a hazard that a person can be exposed to before an injury can be expected.
Many employers I talk to have no idea of the decibel exposures in their workplace, with many feeling their production areas are not that loud. Here are a few decibel-level averages for common machinery:
• Lathe……………………………………..80-95
• Shop tools (Bench grinder, drill press, compressor)……………………………90-95
• Chainsaw…………………………………..100
• Pneumatic tools………………………….100
• Table saw………………………………….103
• Miter saw………………………………….109
• Planers and routers……………………..110
If your workplace has noise levels that are greater than those shown in the table below, you must use engineering controls or administrative controls to reduce employee exposures. This applies to all exposed employees, including those that have already experienced hearing impairment.
The calculations for the permissible limits for occupational noise are as follows:
Maximum Time Allowed in a Work Environment at Decibel Level
• 8 hours…when exposed to 90 decibels
• 6 hours…when exposed to 92 decibels
• 4 hours…when exposed to 95 decibels
• 3 hours…when exposed to 97 decibels
• 2 hours…when exposed to 100 decibels
• 1½ hours…when exposed to 102 decibels
• 1 hour…when exposed to 105 decibels
• 30 minutes…when exposed to 110 decibels
• 15 minutes or less…when exposed to 115 decibels or above
When it comes to noise, permanent hearing loss can be expected at decibels around 85 and above, so when information indicates that any employee’s exposure may equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels, the employer shall develop and implement a monitoring program.
If your workplace exceeds an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels, you must use engineering controls or administrative controls to reduce employee exposures. This applies to all exposed employees, including those with hearing impairments. If these controls are not enough, your employees must also use hearing protectors to reduce their exposure to these levels.
Engineering Controls
Engineering Controls include changes to equipment that can reduces noise exposures. First determine what is making the noise, and then take steps to reduce that noise. Examples of Engineering Controls include:
• Replacing the equipment with equipment that is quieter
• Modifying equipment in order to make it quieter
• Building noise reducing containment around the equipment
• Distancing equipment from employees, or employees from equipment
• Moving the equipment outside of the work area
Administrative Controls
Administrative Controls change the worker’s activities and create policies and procedures that can lower their exposure. Examples of Administrative Controls include:
Reduce the time workers spend in noisy areas; rotate two or more workers so that each is exposed to less noise for shorter periods of time.
• Ensure that workers know how to perform their tasks and operate equipment at safe noise levels.
• Use of warning signs or devices to identify work areas where noise exceeds safe levels.
• Maintain equipment so that it runs smoothly and quietly.
• Shut down noisy equipment when it is not needed for production.
• Consider how much noise that equipment will produce before purchasing or renting the equipment.
When engineering controls and administrative controls do not reduce the noise levels to a permissible level, OSHA Standard 1910.95 requires you to create and put into place a Hearing Conservation Program.
OSHA Standard 1910.95, Occupational Noise Exposure, says that your workplace must have a Hearing Conservation Program when employees are exposed to noise levels that are equal to or greater than 85 dBA averaged over eight hours.
The basic elements of a hearing conservation program include a written safety program for hearing conservation that detail:
• Exposure monitoring of the workplace
• Audiometric testing for all employees exposed to noise levels that are equal to or greater than 85 dBA averaged over eight hours. This must be completed at the employee’s initial hire and annually thereafter.
• Hearing protection requirements
• Employee training requirements
• Recordkeeping
• Employee access to information.
Hearing Protection
There are two types of hearing protection available for use – earplugs and earmuffs. When selecting hearing protection, there are three things to consider – comfort, convenience and compatibility.
Earplugs come in both reusable and disposable varieties and fit in the outer ear canal. In order to reduce noise levels, they must totally block the ear canal with an airtight seal. They’re available in different shapes and sizes and can be custom made. An earplug must be snugly fitted so that it seals the entire circumference of the ear canal.
Earmuffs fit over the entire outer ear and are held in place by an adjustable headband. The headband must hold the earmuff firmly around the ear.
Quality earplugs and earmuffs are about equal in sound reduction, though earplugs are more effective for reducing low-frequency noise and earmuffs for reducing high-frequency noise. Quality ear plugs are suggested to reduce decibels by around 25 points, depending on the manufacturer and style. Using earplugs and earmuffs together can greatly reduce high levels of noise exposure.
Note: Ear buds and music headsets are not approved devices to reduce exposures to sound and are not acceptable to be used in-place of hearing protection. These devices are not recommended in the workplace since they can prevent workers from hearing alarms, warning systems, intercoms and other workers.
Maintenance
Hearing protection should be kept clean and stored properly when not in use to protect it from damage and contamination. Employers should provide sealable storage containers that protect the hearing protection from the environment, dirt, and damage.
Earplug Installation
The proper way to install earplugs is to open your ear canal by reaching over your head with your opposite hand and lifting the top portion of your ear. Insert the hearing protection, and hold it in place, while releasing the ear with your off hand. Hold the plug in-place for approximately 10 to 15 seconds to allow the ear canal to close around the plug, and the plug to expand. Some plugs may need to be squeezed or rolled to make them smaller at the end that inserts into the wearer’s ear in order to fit into the ear canal.
It is important to understand that hearing protection use does not exempt the employer from a hearing conservation program. In other words, if you have noise exposures of above 85 decibels, and you have provided hearing protection that reduces the exposure to 65 decibels, you are still required to have a hearing conservation program in place.
Final Word
I highly recommend that you purchase a decibel meter and monitor the exposure levels within your workplace. It is best to complete this monitoring annually and whenever you make changes to equipment or job tasks. Meters are not expensive, and when properly cared for, they last many years.
All monitoring should be documented to support your findings and determinations. This is especially important if your workplace is on the borderline of the 85-decibel range. OSHA is ramping up enforcement of the 1910.95 Standard. Many individual states already have Noise Emphasis Programs in place, and Federal OSHA is increasing their enforcement in Region 7; Region 7 is in Kansas City, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska in the Midwest.
Failure to comply with the OSHA standard can result in expensive fines, and even worse, employee injuries and expensive claim costs.
Editor’s Note: Jary Winstead is a safety consultant, author and trainer who serves a variety of industries including the forest products sector. He owns Work Safety Services LLC and can be reached at SAFEJARY@gmail.com.
