Transcript Hearing Conservation - City of Los Angeles Personnel Department

Hearing Conservation
Personnel Department
Occupational Safety and Health Division
Introduction
Cal/OSHA regulations require employers to
establish an effective Hearing Conservation
Program to protect employees against noise
induced hearing loss.
Program Administrator
Each Department/Bureau/Division needs to
designate a program administrator to
coordinate all aspects of the program and
audit the effectiveness of the program
Program Components
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
Noise Exposure Monitoring
Engineering and Administrative Control
Audiometric Evaluation
Hearing Protection Devices
Training and Motivation
Record Keeping
Program Audit
Ear Anatomy
Noise Measurements
Sound Intensity level
Sound power level
Sound Pressure level
Velocity
Air 1130 /sec.
Wood 13000 ft./sec
Reference 10-12 Watts/m2
Reference 10-12 Watts/m2
Reference 2x10-5 N/ m2
Water 4700 ft./sec
Steel 16500 ft./sec
Noise Measurements

Hearing range

decibel Scale, decibel

Sound pressure level in dB

Sound level Intensity Level in dB
A. Noise Exposure Monitoring
Noise Types:
 Continuous
 Intermittent
 Impulse
Sampling Types:
 Area Monitoring
 Personal Sampling
Combining Decibel Levels of Noises with Random
Frequency Characteristic
Numerical Difference
between two noise levels
[dB(A)]
Amount to be added to the
two noise levels [dB or
dB(A)]
0 – 0.1
3
0.2 – 0.3
2.9
0.4 – 0.5
2.8
0.6 – 0.7
2.7
0.8 – 0.9
2.6
B. Engineering and
Administrative Controls
Engineering and/or administrative controls
must utilized first.
C. Audiometric Evaluation
Audiometric (hearing) testing should be
available to all employees whose exposures
are known to equal or exceed the “Action
Level”.
D. Hearing Protection Devices
Departments shall make hearing protectors
available to all employees exposed to an 8
hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels or
greater at no cost to the employees.
E. Training and Motivation
Participating departments shall institute a
training program for all employees exposed
at or above the “Action Level” and shall
ensure employee participation in such
program.
F. Record Keeping
Each element of the Hearing Conservation
Program generates its own type of record.
G. Program Audit
A thorough audit of all the Hearing
Conservation Program’s components is
necessary to determine the extent to which
the program is really working.
Responsibilities

Program Administrator Responsibilities

Medical Service Responsibilities

Employee responsibilities
Summary




Noise is all around us and increasing in many
aspects of our lives. Noise or unwanted sound is
one of the most pervasive occupational health
problems.
All the City departments with employees who
fall within the scope of the City’s Hearing
Conservation Program shall comply with the
applicable components of the City Hearing
Conservation Program.
Program Components.
Responsibilities.