April 2, 2009
OSHA regulations stipulate that if “any employee’s exposure equals or exceeds an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels, the employer shall develop and implement a noise monitoring program.”
Here’s a simple way to tell if you might be exposed to noise levels above 85 decibels. If you are standing at arm’s length or less from someone and have to raise your voice for them to hear you, you are most likely being exposed to hazardous noise.
Without quantifying your employees’ actual noise exposure, you can not be certain they are receiving the correct level of hearing protection or that you are in compliance with OSHA regulations.
How do we measure occupational noise exposure? Most commonly, an employee is outfitted with a piece of equipment called a noise dosimeter which collects sound level data over the course of a full work shift.
The information collected will determine: the right level of hearing protection for your employees, whether or not you need to implement a noise monitoring program, and those employees that require annual hearing tests.