• OSHA looks out for workers' hearing health.jack hammer, man working image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
  
  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a government organization that ensures that employees are being treating fairly on the job and are not being put at excessive risk by their employers. Among the many areas of workplace behavior that OSHA monitors is the noise level at work. OSHA sets certain limits for the amount of noise that workers can be exposed to in a certain amount of time, and also provides guidance to employers for how to avoid violating the rules as well as how to alleviate problems once they arise.
  
  

Levels of Noise Allowed Per Day

• OSHA sets its limits on noise levels at work in terms of the amount of time that workers are allowed to be exposed to a certain level of noise per day. The noise levels are measured in decibels (dBA) as measured by a slow response sound meter. The amount of time that workers are allowed to be exposed to that sound is measured in hours.
  
  The basic standards are as follows:
  
  --No more than 8 hours a day of 90 decibels, or, say, the sound of a busy urban street, a power drill, a diesel truck, or a food blender. (reference 3)
  
  --No more than 6 hours a day of 92 decibels, about the same as a clarinet or oboe from 10 feet away. (ref 3)
  
  --No more than 4 hours a day of 95 decibels, about the same as a subway train from 200 feet away. (ref 3)
  
  --No more than 3 hours a day of 97 decibels, or a French horn from 10 feet away. (ref 3)
  
  --No more than 2 hours a day of 100 decibels, comparable to a jet taking off from 100 feet away, an outboard motor, a farm tractor, a garbage truck, or very busy traffic. (ref 3)
  
  --No more than 1 ½ hours a day of 102 decibels, or about the same level of noise coming from a motorcyle. (ref 3)
  
  --No more than 1 hour a day of 105 decibels, about the level of noise from a power mower. (ref 3)
  
  --No more than ½ hour a day of 110 decibels, which is about the same as the noise coming from a chainsaw, a pneumatic drill, a rock concert, or an auto horn at 3 feet away. (ref 3)
  
  --1/4 hour or less of 115 decibels, about the noise level of a jackhammer. (ref 3)
  
  

How to Protect Workers

• If the level of noise to which workers are exposed is greater than what is laid out above, then employers are required to take steps to protect their workers from the dangerous effects of excessive noise exposure. OSHA calls this a "Hearing Conservation Program." (references 1, 2) It essentially involves allowing employees easy and constant access to ear protection free of charge and training them in the proper use and importance of ear protection. (reference 2)
  
  

Corrective Action

• When it becomes clear that ear damage is happening, OSHA demands that employers take immediate corrective action. This may mean an increase in the availability of hearing protection or education, and may also mean changing the form of hearing protection to better fit the employee or the noise. If none of these correctives works, then the employee must be transferred to a more quiet working environment. (references 2)