National Hearing Conservation Association Petitions OSHA to Lower Permissible
Exposure Limits for Noise
WESTMINSTER, Colo., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Citing the fact that nearly 22
million American workers are exposed to hazardous noise on a daily basis and
that occupational hearing loss continues to plague industry, the National
Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) has made a request to the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to reduce the permissible exposure
limit (PEL) for noise exposures.
"Noise-induced hearing loss is an insidious, permanent, and irreversible
disease which has a tremendous negative impact on people's lives. The good
news is that this disease is 100% preventable," said Rick Neitzel, PhD, CIH,
NHCA President. "The bad news is that OSHA's 30-year-old noise exposure
regulation is not consistent with current scientific knowledge, is not
uniformly applied across all industries, and has not proven effective in
preventing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)."
NHCA has requested that OSHA lower the PEL in the Occupation Noise Standard 29
CFR 1910.95 from 90 dBA to 85 dBA, and the Action Level from 85 to 80 dBA.
Citing recent research by NIOSH and other organizations, American workers face
a considerable risk of NIHL associated with long-term work at the current PEL
of 90 dBA and a 5 dB time/intensity exchange rate. NHCA has also requested
that the time/intensity exchange rate be reduced from 5 to 3 dB.
In the letter, NHCA also requests that OSHA extend the PEL to other
industries, such as construction, agriculture, oil and gas drilling and
servicing, and shipbuilding, that are not covered by the existing regulation.
NHCA also asks OSHA to rescind a policy (OSHA Field Operations Manual, 3/2009)
which permits exposures up to 100 dBA without requiring implementation of
noise controls.
"Nearly every other nation on earth has adopted a more protective 85 dBA
exposure limit - which means that U.S. workers have a substantially greater
risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss than do the workers of almost
every other nation," said Neitzel. "Also, workers in industries like
construction, agriculture, and oil and gas drilling are currently not covered
by an effective regulation, which is unacceptable, given the high levels of
noise exposure associated with these industries."
"The National Hearing Conservation Association is a multidisciplinary
organization committed to the prevention of hearing loss, and as such is
uniquely positioned to advocate for contemporary U.S. noise exposure
regulations," said Neitzel. "We feel that the proposed changes will help give
American workers the protection that they deserve, and bring workplace noise
regulations in the US in line with current scientific knowledge about noise
and noise-induced hearing loss."
NHCA's letter to OSHA can be found online at: http://bit.ly/42a3GT.
About the National Hearing Conservation Association [NHCA]
The mission of the National Hearing Conservation Association is to prevent
hearing loss due to noise and other environmental factors in all sectors of
society. NHCA provides networking, resources and professional development
opportunities to improve skills, practices and services for over 600 members.
NHCA's membership includes audiologists, researchers, students, industrial
hygienists, educators, professional service organizations, safety
professionals, medical professionals, engineers, audio professionals and
others who have dedicated their work to the advancement of hearing loss
prevention. For more information about the National Hearing Conservation
Association, visit us online at www.hearingconservation.org.
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SOURCE National Hearing Conservation Association
Don Goncalves for the National Hearing Conservation Association,
+1-781-793-9380, dgoncalves@tizinc.com
