As the nation continues to focus on health care prevention through reform, one cause of serious illness and even death gets ignored — environmental noise pollution.
It can be easy to underestimate the importance of hearing protection when working with and around machinery and processes that can cause much more immediate injury.
NIOSH recommends that all worker exposures to noise should be controlled below a level equivalent to 85 dBA for eight hours to minimize occupational noise induced hearing loss.
Acoustic trauma, also known as acoustic shock, can occur when a person is subjected to an extremely loud noise or series of loud noises such as gun shots, explosions or shouting at very close proximity.
OSHA has published a new chapter that provides technical information and guidance to help Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) evaluate noise hazards in the workplace. The content is based on currently available research publications, OSHA standards, and consensus standards.
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) occurs when tiny sensory hair cells in our inner ears are damaged by noises that are too loud and that last for too long. The max volume of music in headphones is about 105 decibels.
