Hearing Protection Awareness

by Christina Keyes, Keyes To Safety LLC

-Required for employers to implement a Hearing Conservation Program where workers are exposed to a time weighted aver
age noise level of 85 dBA or higher over an 8 hour work shift, for general industry.
-Noise may be a problem in your workplace if you hear ringing or humming in your ears when you leave work, you have to
shout to be heard by a coworker at an arm's length away, or you experience temporary hearing loss when leaving work.
-Noise-related hearing loss has been listed as one of the most prevalent occupational health concerns in the United States
for more than 25 years. Thousands of workers every year suffer from preventable hearing loss due to high workplace nois
e levels.
-Since 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that nearly 125,000 workers have suffered significant,
permanent hearing loss. In 2009 BLS reported more than 21,000 hearing loss cases.
-Exposure to high levels of noise can cause permanent hearing loss. Neither surgery nor a hearing aid can help correct
this type of hearing loss.
-Short term exposure to loud noise can also cause a temporary change in hearing (your ears may feel stuffed up) or a
ringing in your ears (tinnitus). These short-term problems may go away within a few minutes or hours after leaving the
noisy area. However, repeated exposures to loud noise can lead to permanent tinnitus and/or hearing loss.
-Loud noise can also create physical and psychological stress, reduce productivity, interfere with communication and
concentration, and contribute to workplace accidents and injuries by making it difficult to hear warning signals.
-Noise-induced hearing loss limits your ability to hear high frequency sounds, understand speech, and seriously impairs
your ability to communicate. Can also lead to psychological and social isolation.

Industry standard set by NIOSH for maximum PEL of 85dBA for an 8 hour time limit

TABLE G-16 - PERMISSIBLE NOISE EXPOSURES (1)

Duration per day, hours | Sound level dBA, Slow
8...................................... 90
6...................................... 92
4...................................... 95
3...................................... 97
2...................................... 100
1 1/2 ................................ 102
1........................... ...........105
1/2 ................................... 110
1/4 or less.......................... 115

When the daily noise exposure is composed of two or more periods of noise exposure of different levels, their combined effect should be considered, rather than the individual effect of each.


FYI....hearing loss is permanent, please protect yourself and raise awareness for others!