Tag: #hearingconservation

OSHA will continue to target hazardous noise in Mid-Atlantic region

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
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Philadelphia — OSHA Region 3 has extended its Regional Emphasis Program focused on industries with high levels of workplace noise.

Under the REP, OSHA will inspect certain manufacturing workplaces in Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, based on North American Industry Classification System codes. The renewed REP adds three industries:

  • Sawmills and Wood Preservation (NAICS code 32111)
  • Other Wood Manufacturing (32199)
  • Ornamental and Architectural Metal Products (33232)

The REP already included:

  • Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing (32192)
  • Other Plastics and Product Manufacturing (32619)
  • All Other Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (32799)
  • Plate Work and Fabricated Structural Product Manufacturing (33231)
  • Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating and Allied Activities (33281)
  • All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (33299)
  • Ship and Boat Building (33661)

OSHA says hearing loss is a potential hazard for about 22 million U.S. workers. In 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that around 12,000 workers had suffered work-related hearing loss – 9,700 of whom worked in manufacturing.

The agency requires workplaces to establish hearing conservation programs when the average noise exposure during an 8-hour period reaches or exceeds 85 decibels (a gas-powered leaf blower or the sound of city traffic, for example).

“Noise controls are the first line of prevention against permanent work-related hearing loss,” OSHA Region 3 Administrator Michael Rivera said in a press release. “By reducing noise levels even by a few decibels, employers can better protect employees, improve communication and stop excessive noise from distracting workers.”

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Journal spotlights NIOSH’s work on occupational hearing loss prevention

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
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Photo: YasnaTen/iStockphoto

Washington — A special issue of the journal Seminars in Hearing “shines a light” on NIOSH’s efforts to prevent on-the-job hearing loss.

“This special issue recognizes the dedication of NIOSH researchers to prevent a debilitating work-related illness that impacts millions of workers,” NIOSH Director John Howard said in a press release. “It is our hope it will inspire others to join efforts to protect workers’ hearing.”

The agency estimates that 22 million workers face exposure to hazardous noise each year, and around 10 million are exposed to solvents that contribute to hearing loss.

Inside the issue:

Each of the seven articles is free to download.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

‘Nearly always preventable’: Help workers avoid hearing loss

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Help workers avoid hearing loss

Photo: Gabrijelagal/iStockphoto

From the blare of a forklift-collision warning to the wail of an ambulance siren, noise can make us aware of hazards our eyes haven’t yet seen. But not all noise is helpful.

“At certain levels it can become hazardous,” NIOSH cautions. Repeated workplace exposure to noise that’s 85 dBA or louder can permanently damage workers’ hearing – and even contribute to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

The good news? “Noise-induced hearing loss is nearly always preventable,” NIOSH says. “Reducing workplace noise below 85 dBA is the best way to prevent occupational hearing loss and other effects from hazardous noise.”

Employers can help by:
Buying quiet. “Buy Quiet is a prevention initiative that encourages companies to purchase or rent quieter machinery and tools to reduce worker noise exposure,” NIOSH says.
Monitoring workers’ hearing. NIOSH recommends annual audiometric testing (a hearing test that measures the lowest level of sound someone can hear) for workers who are regularly exposed to noisy environments. “Testing should be performed by a professional certified by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation or equivalent certification,” the agency adds.
Creating a noise map. Use a sound level meter to measure areas in the workplace that are loud, and then map out those locations for workers. No access to an SLM? You can use a sound measurement app. NIOSH has one – go to cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/app.html to find it.
Communicating with workers about noise exposure. Use plain language to explain the risks to your workers. NIOSH recommends sharing your noise maps and posting signs in noisy areas.

October is recognized as National Protect Your Hearing Month.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

In new video, workers with hearing loss promote protection

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by Safety+Health
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Photo: National Hearing Conservation Association

Aurora, CO — A new video from the National Hearing Conservation Association aims to raise awareness of on-the-job hearing loss and tinnitus.

During the four-minute video, workers in various industries share testimonials, and NHCA reminds viewers that hearing loss is permanent. The video also encourages workers to:

  • Notice when it’s loud.
  • Move away from the noise.
  • Protect your hearing.

“Don’t take it for granted, because if you lose your hearing, you’re not going to be able to replace it,” Gary, a former tree trimmer, says in the video. “You can maybe help it, but you will never have good ears again.”

Adele, a one-time radio disc jockey who also worked security at music concerts, acknowledges that her hearing loss put her in “denial,” prompting her to turn up the volume on her car radio and TV and think little of it.

“We don’t think about our own health, but it is critical. It really is,” she says. “Look at your hearing protection as just as much a vital part of your PPE as a hard hat or your steel-toed boots. Because if you lose that sense, it is going to impact all areas of your life, from hearing announcements on a plane to hearing somebody whispering sweet nothings in your ear at night, you know. It really can have a profound impact.”

NIOSH notes that all industries carry the risk of hearing loss and estimates that 22 million U.S. workers face exposure to hazardous noise levels at work each year.

“Hearing is a critical, often undervalued part of quality of life,” NHCA says. “Once it is lost or degraded, communication and relationships can be impacted. There can also be a loss of enjoyment of simple activities such as listening to music, enjoying dinner with friends, watching movies and experiencing nature. A loss of hearing can also affect career progression and safety at home and on the job.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Hearing protection and the Hierarchy of Controls

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.
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Responding is Matt Block, director of health and safety services, Magid Glove & Safety Mfg. Co. LLC, Romeoville, IL.

Obviously, the standard is familiar to all safety managers: OSHA’s Hierarchy of Controls. It tells us that personal protective equipment is the least effective mitigation solution and the last thing we should employ to safeguard workers’ hearing.

Accordingly, we start with elimination. Is it possible to eliminate the hazard entirely? Is the equipment obsolete? Is there a better way to accomplish the task that doesn’t involve the current level of noise?

Next, we move to substitution. Is there a newer version of the equipment that produces a lower level of noise? This may be a more expensive alternative if you’re replacing entire pieces of equipment, but in some cases, it can be the most effective. Sometimes, it’s a simple matter of equipment maintenance. Review your logs to see if replacing one or more parts might fix the issue.

Once you know what equipment you have to work with, you can move on to engineering controls. This can take several different forms. If it’s possible to identify a particular part of a machine that’s causing a great deal of vibration or noise, you can look into adding measures to dampen that portion. Sound absorption techniques such as sound baffles or insulators to absorb some of the noise in the area can be effective. It may even be possible to add shock absorbers or sound dampening materials to portions of the equipment to dampen the noise before it reaches the room.

You can also work to contain the noise. You might move loud equipment to a separate room, or even con-struct a room around the equipment itself if it’s very large or in the middle of your facility.

This can be a double-edged sword, however, because the rest of your facility is protected from the noise, but workers who have to use the equipment may be in closer proximity and in an enclosed space, thereby increasing their noise exposure.

If you’ve done all you can with the hazard itself, it’s time to turn to administrative and work practice controls. The most common administrative control is to change workers’ schedules so they have less time exposed to the noise level. You should factor noise levels into your worker rotations just as you do ergonomic issues.

Work practice controls include setting up your facility so people aren’t working in noisy areas. This might mean putting your loudest equipment in an isolated place. If that’s not possible, you will look at the next step in your process to see how you might be able to move that.

For example, if you have a loud machine doing cutting, followed by an assembly step, rethink where that assembly can be done. Can you move the cut materials and assemble them in a quieter area?

Once you’ve controlled as much noise as possible, it’s time to consider PPE. Quality products are important, but equally important is training and reminders. Be sure everyone knows how to wear their hearing protection properly and that they understand the consequences of cutting corners.

Above all, remember that every application and environment is unique. Tackling your noise problems in this order, while sometimes thinking outside the box, is the path to preserving your workers’ hearing and good health.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.