Hearing Conservation Programs Offer Protection

 

Researchers estimate that 15 percent of workers exposed to noise levels of 85 dBA or higher will develop a hearing impairment. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for construction equipment and activities to surpass these noise levels. Take a look at the sound levels of the following equipment and activities:

Rock drilling—Up to 115 dBA	Chain sawing—Up to 125 dBA
Abrasive blasting—105 to 112 dBA	Heavy equipment operation—95 to 110 dBA
Demolition—Up to 117 dBA	Needle guns—Up to 112 dBA

However, noise levels are not the only factors that create hearing impairment. The amount of time you are exposed is also a factor. OSHA permits exposures to 115 dBA for a maximum of 15 minutes for an 8-hour work day. So, for example, you can perform rock drilling for up to 15 minutes without protection. Lower dBA levels are allowed for longer periods of time. OSHA permits exposure to 90 dBA for an entire 8-hour work day.

However, it does not make business sense to perform rock drilling or any other activity based on noise levels and time limits. So what can construction companies do? The answer is—set up a hearing conservation program. A hearing conservation program is a company-specific program to protect the hearing of employees. Effective hearing conservation programs will have the following:

Exposure monitoring—Your company will determine the sound level of machines and operations using any number of methods. Engineering and administrative controls—If exposure limits are exceeded, your company must implement engineering or administrative controls, where feasible. Engineering controls use technology to isolate or remove a hazard. Examples include rubber mountings, sound-absorbing tiles, and locating noisy equipment away from workers. Administrative controls change the duration, frequency, and/or severity of exposure. Arranging work schedules to cut down on the time each worker spends at a noisy task is an administrative control.

·            Training—Your company will instruct you in how to recognize and avoid unsafe noise levels, the safety rules applicable to your work environment, and how to control or eliminate any noise hazards or exposures.

·            Hearing protection—If exposure limits are exceeded even after engineering and administrative controls are implemented, your company will provide you with proper hearing protection. If you will be using insert hearing protectors, they must be fitted by a competent person. A competent person is someone who can tell the difference between a good fit and a poor fit. Plain cotton is not an acceptable protective device.

·            Audiometric testing—If you are overexposed to noise, your company must periodically perform audiometric testing. This procedure checks your hearing by sending sounds (tones) through headphones. The person being tested responds to test sounds when they are first heard. The chart that records responses to the test sounds is called an audiogram. With audiometric testing, any hearing loss can be identified and dealt with properly and promptly. 

 This information is provided by Assurance Agency https:www.assuranceagency.com