Hearing Protection


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.

Image of Honeywell President Mark Levy

Honeywell Keeping Sperian a Separate Division

Mark Levy, president of the Honeywell Life Safety business, says the acquisition completed Sept. 15 positions its 17,000 worldwide employees well for a global market where safety standards are quickly rising.

The second annual contest attracted a new high of 42 products in 17 award categories.

OH&S Salutes 2010 New Product of the Year Winners

Sixteen companies win top honors in the magazine's second annual contest, with trophies and ribbons handed out Tuesday at the National Safety Council Congress & Expo in San Diego.

Noise-related Hearing Loss is Europe's Most Common Occupational Disease

In the study, published in Anales del Sistema Sanitario de Navarra, the team analyzed how various physical and chemical contaminants interact and the impact this had on the hearing of 558 metal workers.

OSHA Nails Picture Frame Maker for Combustible Dust Hazards, More

OSHA is proposing $228,320 in penalties for 34 safety and health violations found at Art Horizons Inc. in Batesville, Miss.

Honeywell Completes Acquisition of Sperian

“Sperian Protection is an excellent fit for Honeywell,” said Mark S. Levy, president and CEO of Honeywell Life Safety. “With highly developed product lines, well-recognized brands, and a strong global distribution channel, Sperian complements and significantly strengthens Honeywell’s position in the personal protective equipment segment.

Brass Foundry Cited for 'Deliberate' Lead-Exposure Hazards

The citations allege, among other things, that the company did not take air samples as required for workers who were overexposed to airborne lead nor provide the required annual training associated with the hazards. An additional willful violation alleges that the company stopped providing hearing tests to employees overexposed to noise.

The only way to determine the attenuation level for a given subject is with a fit test system.

Fit Testing: Questions and Answers

Many users in a group may obtain values close to the labeled NRR, but a substantial portion typically do not. The only way to determine a person's attenuation level is with a fit test system.

A sound-level meter, as shown in this Casella USA photo, is a hand-held device that allows a competent third party to take measurements at the ear of a worker with the instrument pointing at the noise source.

The Use of Noise Dosimeters in the Workplace

Margin of error should be accounted for and the worst-case scenario measurement taken as the reading, particularly when close to an action level.

Featured

Artificial Intelligence