296-307-630 Scope. 296-307-632 Summary. 296-307-63205 Conduct employee
noise exposure monitoring. 296-307-63210 Control employee
noise exposures that equal or exceed 90 dBA
TWA8. 296-307-63215 Make sure employees
use hearing protection when their noise exposure equals or exceeds
85 dBA TWA8. 296-307-63220 Make sure exposed
employees receive training about noise and hearing protection. 296-307-63225 Make sure warning
signs are posted for areas where noise levels equal or exceed
115 dBA. 296-307-63230 Arrange for oversight
of audiometric testing. 296-307-63235 Identify and correct
deficiencies in your hearing loss prevention program. 296-307-63240 Document your hearing
loss prevention activities. 296-307-634 Summary. 296-307-63405 Make sure that noise-measuring
equipment meets recognized standards. 296-307-63410 Measure employee
noise exposure. 296-307-63415 Use these equations
when estimating full-day noise exposure from sound level measurements. 296-307-636 Summary. 296-307-63605 Provide audiometric
testing at no cost to employees. 296-307-63610 Establish a baseline
audiogram for each exposed employee. 296-307-63615 Conduct annual audiograms. 296-307-63620 Review audiograms
that indicate a standard threshold shift. 296-307-63625 Keep the baseline
audiogram without revision, unless annual audiograms indicate
a persistent threshold shift or a significant improvement in hearing. 296-307-63630 Make sure a record
is kept of audiometric tests. 296-307-63635 Make sure audiometric
testing equipment meets these requirements. 296-307-638 Summary. 296-307-63805 Conduct hearing
protection audits at least quarterly. 296-307-63810 Make sure staff
conducting audits are properly trained. 296-307-63815 Assess the hearing
protection used by each employee during audits. 296-307-63820 Document your hearing
protection audits. 296-307-63825 Make sure third-party
hearing loss prevention programs meet the
following requirements. 296-307-640 Noise definitions.
WAC
296-307-630
Scope.
The purpose of this part is to:
• Prevent employee hearing loss
by minimizing employee noise exposures
AND • Make sure employees exposed to
noise are protected.
These goals are accomplished by:
• Measuring and computing the
employee noise exposure from all equipment and machinery in
the workplace, as well as any other noise sources in the work
area • Protecting employees from noise
exposure by using feasible noise controls • Making sure employees use hearing
protection, if you cannot feasibly control the noise • Training employees about hearing
loss prevention • Evaluating your hearing loss prevention
efforts by tracking employee hearing or periodically reviewing
controls and protection • Making appropriate corrections
to your program.
Reference:
Table 1 will help you
determine the hearing loss prevention requirements for your workplace.
For he specific requirements associated with Noise Evaluation
Criteria, see WAC 296-307-63410
of this part.
Table
1
Noise Evaluation Criteria
Criteria
Description
Requirements
85 dBA TWA8
Full-day employee noise exposure dose. If you have one
or more employees whose exposure equals or exceeds this
level, you must have a hearing loss prevention program
– Hearing protection
– Training
– Audiometric testing
90 dBA TWA8
Full-day employee noise exposure dose. If you have one
or more employees whose exposure equals or exceeds this
level, you must reduce employee noise exposures in the workplace
– Noise controls
and
– Hearing protection
– Training
– Audiometric testing
115 dBA measured using slow response
Extreme noise level (greater than one second in duration)
– Hearing protection
– Signs posted in work areas warning of exposure
140 dBC measured using fast response
Extreme impulse or impact noise (less than one second
in duration)
To prevent employee hearing loss by minimizing, and providing
protection from, noise exposures.
You must:
Conduct employee noise exposure monitoring WAC 296-307-63205
Control employee noise exposures that equal or exceed 90 dBA TWA8 WAC 296-307-63210
Make sure employees use hearing protection when their noise exposure
equals or exceed 85 dBATWA8 WAC 296-307-63215
Make sure exposed employees receive training about noise and hearing
protection WAC 296-307-63220
Make sure warning signs are posted for areas with noise levels
that equal or exceed 115 dBA WAC 296-307-63225
Arrange for oversight of audiometric testing WAC 296-307-63230
Identify and correct deficiencies in your hearing loss prevention
program WAC 296-307-63235
Document your hearing loss prevention activities WAC 296-307-63240.
• Conduct employee noise exposure monitoring
to determine the employee's actual exposure when reasonable
information indicates that any employee's exposure may equal
or exceed 85 dBA TWA8.
Note:
• Representative monitoring may
be used where several employees perform the same tasks in substantially
similar conditions • Examples of information or situations
that can indicate exposures which equal or exceed 85 dBA TWA8,
include:
- Noise in the workplace that interferes
with people speaking, even at close range - Information from the manufacturer
of equipment you use in the workplace that indicates high
noise levels for machines in use - Reports from employees of ringing
in their ears or temporary hearing loss - Warning signals or alarms that are
difficult to hear - Work near abrasive blasting or jack
hammering operations - Use of tools and equipment such as
the following:
Heavy equipment or machinery
Fuel-powered hand tools
Compressed air-driven tools or equipment
in frequent use
Power saws, grinders or chippers
Powder-actuated tools.
You must:
• Follow applicable guidance in WAC
296-307-634 when conducting noise exposure monitoring
• Make sure your sampling for noise
exposure monitoring identifies:
- All employees whose exposure equals or
exceeds the following:
85 dBA TWA8 (noise dosimetry,
providing an average exposure over an eight-hour time period)
- Exposure levels for selection of hearing
protection.
• Provide exposed employees and
their representatives with an opportunity to observe any measurements
of employee noise exposure that are conducted • Notify each employee whose exposure
equals or exceeds 85 dBA TWA8 of the monitoring results
within five working days of when you receive the results • Conduct additional noise monitoring
whenever a change in production, process, equipment or controls,
may reasonably be expected to result in:
- Additional employees whose exposure
equals or exceeds 85 dBA TWA8 - Employees exposed to higher level
of noise requiring more effective hearing protection.
Note:
Conditions that may be expected to increase
exposure include:
• Adding machinery to the work area
• Increasing production rates
• Removal or deterioration of noise control devices
• Increased use of noisy equipment
• Change in work schedule
• Change of job duties.
Control employee noise exposures that equal
or exceed 90 dBA TWA8.
Important:
Hearing protection provides a barrier
to noise and protects employees but is not considered a control
of the noise hazard. Separate requirements apply to hearing protection
and are found in WAC 296-307-63215.
You must:
• Reduce employee noise exposure, using
feasible controls, wherever exposure equals or exceeds 90 dBA
TWA8.
Note:
• Once noise exposures are brought
below 90 dBA TWA8, no further reduction is required.
However, further reduction of noise may reduce the need for
other hearing loss prevention requirements • Controls that eliminate noise
at the source or establish a permanent barrier to noise are
typically more reliable. For example:
- Replacing noisy equipment with quiet
equipment
- Using silencers and mufflers
- Installing enclosures
- Damping noisy equipment and parts.
• Other controls and work practices
may also be useful for reducing noise exposures. Examples include:
Make sure employees use hearing protection
when their noise exposure equals or exceeds 85 dBA TWA8.
You must:
• Make sure employees wear hearing protectors
that will provide sufficient protection when exposure equals
or exceeds:
- 85 dBA TWA8 (noise dosimetry,
providing an average exposure over an eight-hour time period) - 115 dBA (slow response sound level
meter, identifying short-term noise exposures) - 140 dBC (fast response sound level
meter, identifying almost instantaneous noise exposures).
• Provide employees with an appropriate
selection of hearing protectors:
- The selection must include at least two
distinct types (such as molded earplugs, foam earplugs, custom-molded
earplugs, earcaps, or earmuffs) for each exposed employee
and must be sufficient to cover:
Different levels of hearing protection
needed in order to reduce all employee exposures to a level
below 85 dBA TWA
Different sizes
Different working conditions.
- Consider requests of the employees regarding:
Physical comfort
Environmental conditions
Medical needs
Communication requirements.
Note:
Hearing protector selection should include earplugs,
earcaps and earmuffs.
You must:
• Provide hearing protection at no cost
to employees
• Supervise employees to make sure that hearing protection
is used correctly
• Make sure hearing protectors are:
- Properly chosen
for fit
- Replaced as necessary.
• Make sure all hearing protection is
sufficient to reduce the employee's equivalent eight-hour noise
exposure to 85 dBA or less. When using the A-weighted exposure
measurements, reported as “dBA TWA8,”
the reduction in noise exposure by hearing protectors is given
by Table 2:
Table
2
Effective Protection of Hearing Protectors
Type of hearing
protection
Effective protection
Single hearing protection (earplugs, earcaps or earmuffs)
7 dB less than the manufacturer assigned noise reduction
rating (NRR); for example, earplugs with an NRR of 20 dB are
considered to reduce employee exposures of 95 dBA TWA8to
82 dBA TWA8
Dual hearing protection (earplug and earmuff worn together)
2 dB less than the higher NRR of the two protectors; for
example, earplugs with an NRR of 20 dB and earmuffs with an
NRR of 12 dB are considered to reduce employee exposures of
100 dBA TWA8 to 82 dBA TWA8
• In addition to protection
based on daily noise dose, make sure hearing protection has an
NRR of at least 20 dB when exposures involve noise that equals
or exceeds 115 dBA (slow response sound level meter) or 140 dBC
(fast response sound level meter).
Note:
You may also evaluate hearing protection by
using the other methods given in the NIOSH Compendium of Hearing
Protection (DHHS (NIOSH)) Publication No. 95-105 or online at
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/hpcomp.html.
These methods require additional monitoring and are more complex,
but provide a more thorough evaluation of protection. This may
be useful in cases where communication is critical or for evaluating
hearing protection for employees with hearing impairment.
Make sure exposed employees receive training
about noise and hearing protection.
You must:
• Train all employees whose noise
exposure equals or exceeds 85 dBA TWA8 • Provide training when an employee
is first assigned to a position involving noise exposure
that equals or exceeds 85 dBA TWA8 and at least annually
after that • Update information provided in
the training program to be consistent with changes in controls,
hearing protectors and work processes • Make sure your noise and hearing
protection training includes:
- The effects of noise on hearing
(including both occupational and nonoccupational exposures) - Noise controls used in your workplace - The purpose of hearing protectors:
The advantages, disadvantages, and attenuation of various
types - Instructions about selecting, fitting,
using, and caring for hearing protection - The purpose and procedures for program
evaluation including audiometric testing and hearing protection
auditing when you choose to rely upon auditing (see WAC
296-307-638) - The employees' right to access records
kept by the employer.
• Maintain a written program describing
initial and refresher training.
Make sure warning signs are posted for areas
where noise levels equal or exceed 115 dBA.
You must:
• Make sure warning signs are posted
at the entrances or boundaries of all well-defined work areas
where employees may be exposed to noise that equals or exceeds
115 dBA (measured using a sound level meter with slow response).
- Warning signs must clearly indicate that
the area is a high noise area and that hearing protectors
are required.
• Make sure audiometric testing as described
by WAC 296-307-636 is supervised and reviewed by one of the
following licensed or certified individuals:
- An audiologist
- An otolaryngologist
- Another qualified
physician.
• Make sure audiograms are conducted
by one of the above individuals or by a technician certified
by the Council of Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation
(CAOHC) and responsible to a qualified reviewer.
Identify and correct deficiencies in your
hearing loss prevention program.
You must:
• Use audiometric testing to identify
hearing loss, which may indicate program deficiencies • Take appropriate actions when
deficiencies are found with your program.
- A deficiency may be indicated when:
Any employee experiences measurable
hearing loss indicated by a standard threshold shift
OR
Any employee isn't wearing appropriate
hearing protection during an audit when auditing is used
in place of baseline audiograms for short term employees
(see WAC 296-307-638, Option
to audiometric testing).
Note:
A standard threshold shift or audit deficiency
does not necessarily indicate that a significant hearing loss
has occurred. These criteria are intended to help identify where
there may be flaws in your hearing loss prevention program that
can be fixed before permanent hearing loss occurs.
There are additional statistical tools and
tests that may be used to improve the effectiveness of your program.
Staff conducting audiometric testing and auditing may be able
to suggest additional ways to improve your hearing loss prevention
program and tailor it to your worksite.
You must:
• Evaluate the following, at a minimum,
when responding to a standard threshold shift:
- Employee noise exposure measurements
- Noise controls
in the work area
- The selection of
hearing protection available and refit employees as necessary
- Employee training
on noise and the use of hearing protection and conduct additional
training as necessary.
Reference:
You may use the option of auditing hearing
protection (see WAC 296-307-638)
for employees hired or transferred to jobs with noise exposure
for less than one year. You may also use audiograms provided by
a third-party hearing loss prevention program in some circumstances.
Details of these program options are found in WAC
296-307-638, Options to audiometric testing.
• Create and retain records documenting
noise exposures. Include, at a minimum:
- Exposure measurements required by
this part for at least 2 years and for as long as you rely
upon them to determine employee exposure - Audiometric test records for the duration
of employment for the affected employees - Hearing protection audits, if you
choose to rely upon them, for the duration of employment of
the -affected employees.
Note:
• You need to keep as complete
a record as possible. Records developed under previous rules
or in other jurisdictions need to be kept, even when they do
not fulfill the full requirements of this part. Similarly, records
found to have errors in collection or processing need to be
kept if they provide an indication of employee exposure or medical
condition not found in other records • You may want to consider your
other business needs, such as worker's compensation claims management,
before discarding these records.
Conduct noise monitoring or measurement to evaluate employee
exposures in your workplace.
You must:
Make sure that noise-measuring equipment meets recognized standards WAC 296-307-63405
Measure employee noise exposure WAC 296-307-63410
Use these equations when estimating full-day noise exposure from
sound level measurements WAC 296-307-63415.
Make sure that noise-measuring equipment
meets recognized standards.
You must:
• Make sure that noise dosimetry equipment
meets these specifications:
- Dosimeters must be equipment class 2AS-90/80-5
of the American National Rule Specification for Personal Noise
Dosimeters, ANSI S1.25-1991, such dosimeters are normally
marked “Type 2.”
Note:
Make sure any dosimeter you use is Type 2 equipment
that:
• Uses slow integration
and A-weighting of sound levels.
• Has the criterion
level set to 90 dB, so the dosimeter will report a constant
8-hour exposure at 90 dBA as a 100% dose.
• Has the threshold
level set at 80 dB, so the dosimeter will register all noise
above 80 dB.
• Uses a 5 dB
exchange rate for averaging of noise levels over the sample
period.
You must:
• Make sure that sound level meters
meet these specifications:
- American National Standard Specification
for Sound Level Meters, S1.4-1984, Type 2 requirements for
sound level meters, such sound level meters are normally marked
“Type 2.”
For continuous noise measurements, the
meter must be capable of measuring A-weighted sound levels
with slow response
For impulse or impact noise measurements,
the meter must be capable of indicating maximum C-weighted
sound level measurements with fast response.
• Calibrate dosimeters and sound level
meters used to monitor employee noise exposure:
- Before and after each day's use
AND - Following the instrument manufacturer's
calibration instructions.
Note:
• You may conduct dosimetry using
an exchange rate less than 5 dB and compare the results directly
to the noise evaluation criteria in Table
1 • For measuring impulse and impact
noise you may also use a sound level meter set to measure maximum
impulse C-weighted sound levels or peak C-weighted sound levels.
A noise dosimeter is the basis for determining
total daily noise exposure for employees. However, where you have
constant noise levels, you may estimate employee noise exposure
using measurements from a sound level meter. Calculation of the
employee noise exposure must be consistent with WAC
296-307-63415.
You must:
• Include all:
- Workplace noise from equipment and machinery
in use
- Other noise from sources necessary to
perform the work
- Noise outside the
control of the exposed employees.
• Use a noise dosimeter when necessary
to measure employee noise dose
• Use a sound level meter to evaluate continuous and impulse
noise levels
• Identify all employees whose exposures equal or exceed
the Noise Evaluation Criteria as follows:
Noise Evaluation Criteria
Criteria
Description
Requirements
85 dBA TWA8
Full-day employee noise exposure dose. If you have one or
more employees whose exposure equals or exceeds this level,
you must have a hearing loss prevention program
– Hearing protection
– Training
– Audiometric testing
90 dBA TWA8
Full-day employee noise exposure dose. If you have one or
more employees whose exposure equals or exceeds this level,
you must reduce employee noise exposures in the workplace
Noise controls
(in addition to the requirements for 85 dBA TWA8)
115 dBA measured using slow response
Extreme noise level (greater than one second in duration)
– Hearing protection
– Signs posted in work areas warning of exposure
140 dBC measured using fast response
Extreme impulse or impact noise (less than one second in
duration)
Use these equations when estimating full-day
noise exposure from sound level measurements.
You must:
• Compute employee's full-day noise
exposure by using the appropriate equations from Table
3 “Noise Dose Computation” when using
a sound level meter to estimate noise dose.
Table
3
Noise Dose Computation
Description
Equation
Compute the noise dose based on several time periods of
constant noise during the shift
The total noise dose over the work day, as a percentage,
is given by the following equation where Cn indicates
the total time of exposure at a specific noise level, and
Tn indicates the reference duration for that level.
D = 100*((C1/T1) + (C2/T2)
+ (C3/T3) + ... + (Cn/Tn))
The reference duration is equal to the time of exposure
to continuous noise at a specific sound level that will result
in a one hundred percent dose
The reference duration, T, for sound level, L, is given
in hours by the equation:
T = 8/(2^((L - 90)/5))
Given a noise dose as a percentage, compute the equivalent
eight-hour time weighted average noise level
The equivalent eight-hour time weighted average, TWA8,
is computed from the dose, D, by the equation:
TWA8 = 16.61* Log10(D/100) + 90
To conduct audiometric testing of employees exposed
to noise to make sure that their hearing protection is effective.
You must:
Provide audiometric testing at no cost to employees WAC 296-307-63605
Establish a baseline audiogram for each exposed employee WAC 296-307-63610
Conduct annual audiograms WAC 296-307-63615
Review audiograms that indicate a standard threshold shift WAC 296-307-63620
Keep the baseline audiogram without revision, unless annual audiograms
indicate a persistent threshold shift or a significant improvement
in hearing WAC 296-307-63625
Make sure a record is kept of audiometric tests WAC 296-307-63630
Make sure audiometric testing equipment meets these requirements WAC 296-307-63635.
Establish a baseline audiogram
for each exposed employee.
You must:
• Conduct a baseline audiogram
when an employee is first assigned to work involving noise exposures
that equal or exceed 85 dBA TWA8.
- Make sure this audiogram
is completed no more than one hundred eighty days after the
employee is first assigned
OR - Make sure employee is covered by a
hearing protection audit program (as described by WAC
296-307-638 and available as an alternative only for employees
hired for less than one year).
Note:
Employers who utilize mobile
test units are allowed up to one year to obtain a valid baseline
audiogram for each exposed employee. The employees must still
be given training and hearing protection as required by this part.
You must:
• Make sure employees are
not exposed to workplace noise at least fourteen hours before
testing to establish a baseline audiogram.
- Hearing protectors may be
used to accomplish this.
• Notify employees of the
need to avoid high levels of nonoccupational noise exposure
(such as loud music, headphones, guns, power tools, motorcycles,
etc.) during the fourteen-hour period immediately preceding
the baseline audiometric examination.
• Conduct annual audiograms
for employees as long as they continue to be exposed to noise
that equals or exceeds 85 dBA TWA8.
Note:
Annual audiometric testing may
be conducted at any time during the work shift. By conducting
the annual audiogram during the work shift with the employee exposed
to typical noise for their job, the test may record a temporary
threshold shift. This makes the test more sensitive to potential
hearing loss and may help you improve employee protection before
a permanent threshold shift occurs. A suspected temporary shift
is one reason an employer may choose to retest employee hearing.
You must:
• Make sure each employee
is informed of the results of his or her audiometric test.
- Include whether or not there
has been a hearing level decrease or improvement since their
previous test.
• Make sure each employee’s
annual audiogram is compared to his or her baseline audiogram
by an audiologist, otolaryngologist, another qualified physician,
or the technician conducting the test to determine if a standard
threshold shift has occurred.
- If the annual audiogram indicates
that an employee has suffered a standard threshold shift,
you may obtain a retest within thirty days and consider the
results of the retest as the annual audiogram.
• Make sure that an audiologist,
otolaryngologist, or other qualified physician sees any annual
audiogram that indicates a standard threshold shift.
Review audiograms that indicate
a standard threshold shift.
You must:
• Make sure the healthcare
professional supervising audiograms has:
- A copy of this part
- The baseline audiogram and most recent
audiogram of the employee to be evaluated
- Background noise level records for the
testing room
- Calibration records for the audiometer.
• Obtain an opinion from the healthcare
professional supervising audiograms as to whether the audiograms
indicate possible occupational hearing loss and any recommendations
for changes in hearing protection. • Pay for any clinical audiological
evaluation or otological examination required by the reviewer,
if:
- Additional review
is necessary to evaluate the cause of hearing loss
OR
- If there is indication of a medical condition
of the ear caused or aggravated by the wearing of hearing
protectors.
• Inform the employee in writing
of the existence of a standard threshold shift within twenty-one
calendar days of the determination. • Make arrangements for the reviewer
to communicate to the employee any suspected medical conditions
that are found unrelated to your workplace. This information
is confidential and must be handled appropriately.
Make sure audiometric testing equipment meets
these requirements.
You must:
• Use pure tone, air conduction, hearing
threshold examinations, with test frequencies including as a
minimum 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz
- Tests at each frequency must be taken
separately for each ear
- Supra-aural headphones must be used.
• Conduct audiometric tests with
audiometers (including microprocessor audiometers) that meet
the specifications of, and are maintained and used according
to, American National Standard Specification for Audiometers,
S3.6-1996 • Check the functional operation
of the audiometer each day before use by doing all of the following:
- Make sure the audiometer’s output
is free from distorted or unwanted sound
- Test either a person with known, stable
hearing thresholds or a bio-acoustic simulator
- Perform acoustic calibration for deviations
of 10 dB or greater.
• Audiometer calibration must be
checked acoustically at least annually to verify continued conformance
with ANSI S3.6-1996. Test frequencies below 500 Hz and above
6000 Hz may be omitted from this check • An exhaustive calibration must
be performed at least every two years according to the American
National Standard Specification for Audiometers, S3.6-1996.
Test frequencies below 500 Hz and above 6000 Hz may be omitted
from the calibration • Provide audiometric test rooms
that meet the requirements of ANSI S3.1-1999 American National
Standard Maximum Permissible Ambient Noise Levels for Audiometric
Test Rooms using the following table of Maximum Ambient Sound
Pressure Levels:
Table 4
Maximum Ambient Sound Pressure Levels
Frequency (Hz)
500
1000
2000
4000
8000
Sound Pressure Level (dB)
40
40
47
57
62
Note:
The American Industrial Hygiene
Association and National Hearing Conservation Association recommend
conducting audiograms using the requirements of ANSI S3.1-1999
American National Standard Maximum Permissible Ambient Noise Levels
for Audiometric Test Rooms with adjustments at only 500 Hz and
below.
This section provides options to baseline audiometric
testing for employees assigned to duties with noise exposures
for less than one year. These program options
may also be used to provide added assessment of longer-term employees
in addition to audiometric testing.
The requirements of this section apply only if you decide to use
auditing or a third-party hearing loss prevention program and
do not conduct baseline audiometric testing for those employees.
Hearing Protection Audits
You must:
Conduct hearing protection audits at least quarterly WAC 296-307-63805
Make sure staff conducting audits are properly trained WAC 296-307-63810
Assess the hearing protection used by each employee during audits WAC 296-307-63815
Document your hearing protection audits WAC 296-307-63820
Third-Party Audiometric Testing
You must:
Make sure third-party hearing loss prevention programs
meet the following requirements WAC 296-307-63825
Important:
Hearing protection audits are
a tool for use in evaluating your hearing loss prevention program
in cases where audiometric testing does not provide a useful measure.
For example, if most of your employees are hired on a temporary
basis for a few months at a time, audiometric testing may not
identify the small changes in hearing acuity that could occur.
Auditing provides an alternative to audiometric testing in these
cases.
Auditing is not required unless you use it in place
of baseline audiometric testing for employees hired for a period
of less than one year and is permitted as a substitute
for audiometric testing only for these employees.
Third-party hearing loss prevention programs
are full hearing loss prevention programs and are distinct from
audiometric testing provided by third parties as part of your
own hearing loss prevention program. These programs may be organized
by labor groups, trade associations, labor-management cooperatives,
or other organizations to:
• Cover a specific
group of employees
OR • Combine efforts for several employers
with common employees.
Although you remain responsible for the program, third-party
programs can have at least two benefits over running your own
program: • The audiometric testing is portable
between the participating employers so new testing will not
be needed when an employee changes employers • Employees who only work for short
periods for any one employer can be monitored under the group
program over a longer period of time increasing the effectiveness
of the audiometric testing in preventing hearing loss for these
employees.
• Keep a record of
audit results for each employee assessed for the length of their
employment and for the length of time you will rely upon the
audit results • Include the following information
in the record:
- The make and model
of the hearing protectors
- The size of the protectors
- Average noise exposure of the employee
- Any problems found with use of the hearing
protection
- Any comments or complaints from the employee
regarding the hearing protection.
Make sure third-party hearing
loss prevention programs meet the following requirements.
Important:
Third-party hearing loss prevention programs are
intended:
• For short-term
employees hired or assigned to duties having noise exposures
for less than one year
AND • For seasonal employees.
However, other employees may be included as long
as you meet all requirements for hearing loss follow-ups and recordkeeping.
You must:
• Make sure that the third-party
program is:
- Equivalent to an employer program as required
by this part
AND
- Uses audiometric testing to evaluate hearing
loss.
• Make sure a licensed
or certified audiologist, otolaryngologist, or other qualified
physician administers the third-party program
• Make sure the third-party program has written procedures
for:
- Communicating with participating employers
of program requirements
- Follow-up procedures
for detected hearing loss
- Annual review of participating employer
programs.
Make sure the following program elements
are corrected by you or the third-party program when deficiencies
are found:
- Noise exposures
-
Hearing protection
- Employee training
- Noise controls.
• Obtain a review of your
hearing loss prevention program at least once per year, conducted
by the third-party program administrator or their representative,
in order to:
- Identify any tasks needing a revised selection
of hearing protection
AND
- Provide an overall assessment of the employers'
hearing loss prevention activities.
An adjustment to sound level
measurements that reflects the sensitivity of the human ear. Used
for evaluating continuous or average noise levels.
Audiogram
A chart, graph, or
table resulting from an audiometric test showing an individual's
hearing threshold levels as a function of frequency.
Audiologist
A professional, specializing
in the study and rehabilitation of hearing, who is certified by
the American Speech, Hearing, and Language Association, or the
American Academy of Audiology, and is licensed by the state board
of examiners.
Baseline audiogram
The audiogram against
which future audiograms are compared. The baseline audiogram is
collected when an employee is first assigned to work with noise
exposure. The baseline audiogram may be revised if persistent
standard threshold shift (STS) of improvement is found.
Continuous noise
Noise with peaks spaced
no more than one second apart. Continuous noise is measured using
sound level meters and noise dosimeters with the slow response
setting.
Criterion sound level
A sound level of ninety decibels.
An eight-hour exposure to constant 90 dBA noise is a one hundred
percent noise dose exposure.
C-weighted
An adjustment to sound level
measurements that evenly represents frequencies within the range
of human hearing. Used for evaluating impact or impulse noise.
Decibel (dB)
Unit of measurement of sound
level. A-weighting, adjusting for the sensitivity of the human
ear, is indicated as “dBA.” C-weighting, an even reading
across the frequencies of human hearing, is indicated as “dBC.”
Fast response
A setting for a sound
level meter that will allow the meter to respond to noise events
of less than one second. Used for evaluating impulse and impact
noise levels.
Hertz (Hz)
Unit of measurement of frequency,
numerically equal to cycles per second.
Impulsive or impact noise
Noise levels which involve
maxima at intervals greater than one second. Impulse and impact
noise are measured using the fast response setting on a sound
level meter.
Noise dose
The total noise exposure
received by an employee during their shift. It can be expressed
as a percentage indicating the ratio of exposure received to the
noise exposure received in an eight-hour exposure to constant
noise at 90 dBA. It may also be expressed as the sound level that
would produce the equivalent exposure during an eight-hour period
(TWA8).
Noise dosimeter
An instrument that
integrates a function of sound pressure over a period of time
in such a manner that it directly indicates a noise dose.
Occupational hearing loss
A reduction in the ability
of an individual to hear either caused or contributed to by exposure
in the work environment.
Otolaryngologist
A physician specializing
in diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ear, nose and throat.
Permanent threshold shift
A hearing level change that
has become persistent and is not expected to improve.
Qualified reviewer
An audiologist, otolaryngologist,
or other qualified physician who has experience and training in
evaluating occupational audiograms.
Slow response
A setting for sound level
meters and dosimeters in which the meter does not register events
of less than about one second. Used for evaluating continuous
and average noise levels.
Sound level
The intensity of noise as
indicated by a sound level meter.
Sound level meter
An instrument that measures
sound levels.
Standard threshold shift
(STS)
A hearing level change,
relative to the baseline audiogram, of an average of 10 dB or
more at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz in either ear.
Temporary threshold shift
A hearing level change that
improves. A temporary threshold shift may occur with exposure
to noise and hearing will return to normal within a few days.
Temporary threshold shifts can be indicators of exposures that
lead to permanent hearing loss.
TWA8 Equivalent
eight-hour time-weighted average sound level
That sound level,
which if constant over an eight-hour period, would result in the
same noise dose measured in an environment where the noise level
varies.
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