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Hearing Conservation Program
(an overview)
Purpose
To protect university employees from noise exposures; to conserve
hearing ability; and to prevent occupational hearing loss.
Sources
29 Code of Federal Regulations §1910.95
Appendices: A
- Noise Exposure computation; B
- Methods for estimating adequacy; C
- Audiometric Measuring Instruments; D
- Audiometric Test Rooms; E
- Acoustic Calibration; F
- Calculations and Application of Age Corrections; G
- Monitoring Noise Levels; H
- Availability of Documents; I
- Definitions
Applicability
University employees who are exposed to noise greater than 85 decibels
(dBA) on the A scale and/or employees who work in areas where excessive
noise levels, or the potential for excessive noise levels, may exist.
Policy
BYU-Idaho provides hearing protection to employees, when needed, to
prevent occupational exposure to noise levels that exceed or may exceed
established permissible exposure limits established by the U.S.
Occupational Health and Safety Administration. Administrative and/or
engineering control measures, e.g., enclosures, damping with absorbents,
sound insulating, job rotation, etc., must be considered and implemented,
when feasible, prior to the use of hearing protection. If administrative
and/or engineering controls are not feasible, appropriate hearing
protection must be used.
An employee whose job function requires the use of hearing protection
should receive an initial audiogram examination and training before his or
her initial assignment, and annually thereafter.
Responsibilities of the University
BYU-Idaho maintains the Hearing Conservation Program (HCP) for university
employees who may be exposed to excessive noise levels during the
performance of their duties. The HCP is designed to achieve regulatory
compliance and to provide a means for employees to be better informed
about and protected from excessive noise levels and hearing loss.
Responsibilities of the University Safety Office
The Safety Office develops, implements, updates, and
maintains the university’s HCP, assists departments
with evaluating hearing hazards, and provides guidance on suitable control
measures (including, but not limited to, engineering controls,
administrative guidelines, and appropriate personal protective equipment). In addition, the
safety office reassesses work areas as necessary and provides employee
training.
Safety Office personnel will perform an evaluation of the noise levels
in suspected work areas. When measurement results indicate that any
employee’s noise exposure may equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted
average (TWA) of 85 dBA, monitoring is conducted to document the exposure
and determine whether the employee should be included in the HCP.
Screening and additional monitoring is repeated whenever a change in
production, process, equipment or controls increases the noise exposures.
Employees who are exposed above an 8-hour TWA of 85 dBA are notified
of the results.
Responsibilities of the Departments
Departments, shops and other university entities must identify
employees who may be exposed to excessive noise levels and ensure that
these employees are provided the protection required by the HCP. In
addition, departments must determine whether administrative and/or
engineering controls can be used in lieu of hearing-protective equipment
and implement these controls when feasible; establish and maintain written
standard operating procedures; ensure that only properly trained employees
use hearing-protective equipment; and document and maintain all records
pertaining to employee audiometric examinations and training.
Department supervisors are responsible for identifying potentially
harmful noise levels at their work areas. Supervisors may suspect
potentially harmful noise levels when noise in the work area routinely
interferes with verbal communication; when noise routinely startles,
annoys, or disrupts an employee or interferes with his or her ability to
concentrate; or when it is the suspected cause of noticeable hearing loss
or pain. Whenever a harmful noise level is suspected, the supervisor
should notify the university Safety Office.
All employees who are exposed to a TWA of greater than 85 dBA should
receive audiometric testing and an initial audiogram examination by a
qualified physician, otolaryngologist, audiologist, or certified
technician. This examination consists of a baseline audiogram and annual
audiograms thereafter.
Before using earplugs and/or earmuffs, each employee who is exposed to
noise levels above an 8-hour TWA of 85 dBA should receive training.
Training will be provided by supervisors and/or Safety Office personnel to
employees upon initial work assignment to areas that are identified as
excessively noisy, and annually thereafter or upon request. Information
provided in the annual training program is updated to be consistent with
any changes in regulation, personal protective devices and work processes.
The training includes, but is not limited to, the following
topics:
- the effects of noise on hearing
- the purpose of hearing protectors; the advantages, disadvantages,
and attenuation of various types; and instructions on selection,
fitting (hands-on), use, and care
- the purpose of audiometric testing, and an explanation of the test
procedures.
Responsibilities of Employees
University personnel who work in noisy areas during the performance of
their duties must use safe work practices, wear appropriate hearing
protection while performing job functions, attend training on noise and
hearing protection, report changes in workplace or "noisy"
conditions to their supervisors, and comply with all provisions of the HCP.
In addition, employees can assist the safety office by doing the
following when possible:
- identify potential noisy areas of concern and contact the
Safety Office to schedule an evaluation
- review the university’s Hearing and Conservation Program (HCP) and
ensure compliance with all requirements
- determine whether administrative and/or engineering controls can be
used in lieu of protective hearing equipment and implement these
controls when feasible
- establish and maintain written standard operating procedures and
ensure that employees whose job functions require the use of hearing
protection are trained on the use of hearing-protective equipment
- ensure that employees are provided with and use proper protective
hearing equipment
- ensure that employees whose job functions require the use of hearing
protection receive an initial audiogram examination and an examination
annually thereafter
- document and maintain all records pertaining to employee medical
examinations, training, and audiometric testing within the department.
The University Safety Office is responsible to:
-
provide guidance on written standard operating procedures, assist
departments with evaluating noise and hearing hazards, and provide
guidance on suitable control measures including appropriate protective
equipment
-
document and maintain employee training
-
reassess work areas as necessary.
-
arrange for the annual on-site
audiometric testing
The employee should:
- ensure that he or she is provided with the appropriate training,
medical examinations, and hearing protection if performing duties that
require the use of hearing protection
- wear appropriate hearing protection while performing job functions
that require its use
- report changes in workplace or hearing loss to supervisor
- comply with all provisions of this policy as it applies to employees
who are exposed to noise greater than 85 decibels (dBA) on the A scale
and/or employees who work in areas where excessive noise levels, or
the potential for excessive noise levels, may exist.
Safety Office personnel are available to conduct departmental or
individual training relative to any of the listed safety topics upon
request. Please contact the safety
office with your request or with any questions regarding information
on the Safety Web Page.
Reference: Arizona State University (www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/rsk/rsk110.html)
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