Hearing Protection


Pie Maker Minces Fingertip, Bakery Fined $229,400

Violations include exposing workers to combustible dust, fall and electrical hazards, among others.

The December 2010 compliance directive said 1926.501(b)(13) would be interpreted as written.

7th Circuit Upholds OSHA Fall Protection Directive

And the panel's reasoning in the April 7 decision offers support for the hearing protection reinterpretation OSHA recently withdrew.

Failure-to-Abate Notices Add Up to $112,530 in Fines for N.J. Firm

OSHA initiated an inspection on Oct. 21, 2011, in response to a complaint alleging that the employer had not abated safety and health violations cited on July 14, 2010.

British PPE Makers Take Aim at Counterfeits

The British Safety Industry Federation warns that buyers can be confused by a "CE" mark that is not representing true approval.

The State of Occupational Hearing Conservation

New technologies make the goal of OSHA's Hearing Conservation Amendment, the elimination of noise-induced hearing loss, very feasible.

Active Noise Control technology takes on the noise effect head on.

Eliminating Noise Pollution in IT Work Environments

Workers no longer have to be subjected to noise's damaging effects -- or suffer frostbite, for that matter.

Fibers Plant, Army Program Win Safe-in-Sound Excellence Awards

NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard said the 2011 winners "show us the power of teamwork and ingenuity in developing innovative solutions to protect workers from the home front to the front lines."

Workers in Aqueduct Tunnel Exposed to Excess Noise Levels; Firm Fined $52,500

Employees were also exposed to fall hazards of up to 14 feet from a lack of fall protection and from using a ladder that did not extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing service for required stability.



Firm Fined $214,550 for Excessive Noise Levels, Lead Exposure

OSHA initiated an inspection of the facility in August 2010 in response to a complaint and alleges three willful, 18 serious, and two other-than-serious violations of health and safety standards.

Employer payment is required for chemical-resistant gloves, aprons, and clothing when it is used to comply with an OSHA standard.

OSHA Updates Enforcement Guidance for PPE

The new document is sure to help employers because it lists and links to the standards that require them to provide PPE and links to a list of relevant OSHA interpretation letters.

Free Hearing Conservation Seminars Set in Georgia, Tennessee

Sperian Hearing Protection, LLC/Howard Leight’s Dr. Theresa Schulz is presenting four “HearForever™: Best Practices in Hearing Conservation” seminars in early April, the company announced.

The MSA Supreme Pro™-X Ear Muff offers fully waterproof microphones.

NIOSH/NHCA Joint Hearing Protection Supplement Published

The supplemental issue of the International Journal of Audiology highlights research that was presented at NHCA's 35th Annual Conference last year.

OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels

OSHA Retreats on Noise Exposure Change

Saying the problem of excessive occupational noise exposures “requires much more public outreach and many more resources than we had originally anticipated,” Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels says OSHA is going back to the drawing board.

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee

Issa Asked to Help Stop I2P2 and Noise Proposals

The letter sent to about 150 trade associations last month by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asking them to identify "burdensome" regulations, has put these two OSHA proposals on the hot seat. President Obama's new executive order puts additional pressure on existing regulations.

Noise Control: How to Plan for OSHA's New Interpretation

Designing to achieve the desired reduction in noise without excessive capital cost and negative operational impact is often a delicate balance.

Saying fewer workers will be affected than some opponents may realize, NHCA noted the noise control requirement is triggered only when workers have eight-hour average exposures over 90 dBA.

NHCA Defends OSHA's Noise Exposure Change

The new enforcement policy is not yet in effect, but some groups are attacking it as an expensive, unnecessary change. The National Hearing Conservation Association supports it, however.

OSHA Updates Shipyard PPE Directive

The directive recognizes updated consensus standards and includes more information about the PPE shipyard employers must provide to workers at no cost, as well as PPE for which they don't have to pay.

FDRsafety Offers Free PPE Checklist

Companies can use it to assess their needs for various types of protective equipment, from head to toe, based on a hazard assessment.

The opposition to the proposed change in interpreting "feasible" engineering controls for noise is reminiscent of the opposition to OSHA when it was created.

National Academy of Engineering Report Urges 85 dB PEL

OSHA has long used the 90 dB Permissible Exposure Limit to define maximum "safe" noise, although much of the rest of the world disagrees.

Noise Suppression Technologies, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio (www.noisesuppression.com) makes these Quilted Curtain Composites, which are used as enclosures to contain and absorb noise.

OSHA Shifts on Noise Exposure Standards

It is reversing the enforcement policy it has used since 1983, which allows most employers to use PPE and a hearing conservation program rather than engineering and administrative controls.

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