Ohio BWC Division of Safety and Hygiene

• John Canning

• Cleveland Service Office

• Lausche Office Building

• 216-787-3060 (office)

• 216-469-6396 (cell)

• John.C.3@bwc.state.oh.us1

Hearing Conservation

and

Noise Control

2

WHY??????

• It’s the LAW

• Quality of Life

• Gradual / Painless

3

Anatomy of the Ear

Semi-Circular Canals

Auditory Nerve

Pinna

Hammer-Anvil-StirrupCochlea

4

Types of Hearing Loss

• Conductive

• Central

• Sensorineural

5

6

Degree of Risk

• Frequency

• Intensity

• Duration

• Individual Variability

7

How Loud is Loud?

• Jet engine 140 db

• Threshold of Pain 125 db

• Pneumatic hammer 110 db

• Compressed Air 105+ db

• Punch Press 95 db

• Lawn Mower 90 db

• Conversation 65 db

8

Noise Thermometer

9

Personal Protective Equipmentadvantages / disadvantages

• Cotton Balls

• Canal Blockers

• Ear Muffs

• Ear Plugs• NRRs (example on next page)

10

NRRs

• EPA protocol

• For “A” scale measurements NRR – 7

Noise exposure 92 dBA

Manufacturer’s NRR 32

32 – 7 = 25 (effective noise exposure reduction)

92 – 25 = 67 dBA

11

Exposure Limits

• ACGIH 85 dBA (3 dBA)

• NIOSH 85 dBA (3dBA)

• OSHA 84 dBA (5 dBA)

(Action Level) 85 - 89 dBA

90 dBA

12

Noise Monitoring

• Required by the OSHA standard to identify all noise above 80 dBA

• Monitoring must be performed whenever there is an increase in production or equipment is added that could increase the noise level

13

Audiograms

14

Training requirements

• Annual Training

• Hearing Conservation Elements

• Hearing Protectors

15

Recordkeeping

• Monitoring records

• Audiometric testing records

16

Noise Control

• Engineering

• Administrative

• Personal Protective Equipment

17

What we’re doing to control noise

• Fill in here what you’re company is doing to reduce exposure to noise……..

• Reducing air pressure,

• Enclosing loud operations or the operator,

• Slowing cycle times,

• Rotating workers,

• Insulating equipment, breaking the path….

18

Resources (with some Free Stuff)

•http://www.ear.com/hearingconservation/images/OSHA_Poster2.pdf• http://www.howardleight.com/bestpractices/educate

19