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'''Occupational noise is the amount of acoustic energy received by an employee's auditory system when he is working in the industry. Occupational noise, or industrial noise, is often a term used in occupational safety and health,''' as sustained exposure can cause permanent hearing damage.

"Twenty-two million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year. Last year, U.S. business paid more than $1.5 million in penalties for not protecting workers from noise." - OSHA

Occupational noise is considered an occupational hazard traditionally linked to loud industries such as ship-building, mining, railroad work, welding, and construction, but can be present in any workplace where hazardous noise is present.

NEW SECTION: RISKS OF OCCUPATIONAL NOISE

Occupational noise, if experienced repeatedly, at high intensity, for an extended period of time, can cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) which is then classified as occupational hearing loss.

Modern thinking in occupational safety and health further identifies noise as hazardous to workers' safety and health. This hazard is experienced in various places of employment and through a variety of sources. ******UNNECESSARY

Noise, in the context of industrial noise, is hazardous to a person 's hearing because of its loud intensity through repeated long-term exposure. In order for noise to cause hearing impairment for the worker, the noise has to be close enough, loud enough''', and sustained long enough to damage the hair cells in the auditory system. Please see Occupational hearing loss or Noise-induced hearing loss for more information regarding the physiology of hearing lo. h. These factors have been taken into account by the governing occupational health and safety organization y to determine the unsafe noise exposure levels and durations for their respective industries.'''

*****National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) have all set standards on hazardous occupational noise in their respective industries. Each industry is different, as workers

 '  tasks and equipment differ, but most regulations agree that noise becomes hazardous when it exceeds 85 decibels, for an 8-hour time exposure (typical work shift). This relationship between allotted noise level and exposure time is known as an Exposure action value (EAV) or Permissible exposure limit (PEL). The EAV or PEL can be seen as equations which manipulate the allotted exposure time according to the intensity of the industrial noise. This equation works as an invse,, sexponentiale relationship. As the industrial noise intensity increases, the allotted exposure time, to still remain safe, decreases.

These above calculations of PEL and EAV are based on measurements taken to determine the intensity of that particular industrial noise. A-weighted measurements are commonly used to determine noise levels that can cause harm to the human ear. There are also special exposure meters available that integrate noise over a period of time to give an Leq value (equivalent sound pressure level), defined by standards ******MOVED TO DIFFERENT SECTION

**********Hazardous industrial noise can cause a permanent auditory threshold shift as excessive exposure to loud noises can damage the Hair cell s in the ear. Please see Occupational hearing loss or Noise-induced hearing loss for more information regarding the physiology of hearingos* s.

Noise can also affect the safety of the employee and others. Noise can be a causal factor in work accidents as it may mask hazards and warning signals and impede concentration. High intensity noise interferes with vital workplace communication which increases the chance of accidents and decreases productivity.

Noise may also act synergistically with other hazards to increase the risk of harm to workers. In particular, toxic materials (e.g. some solvents, metals, asphyxiants and pesticides) have some ototoxic properties that may affect hearing function.

Contents
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 * 1Reduction
 * 2Regulation
 * 3Initiatives
 * 4See also
 * 5References
 * 6External links

Reduction[edit]
There are several ways to limit your exposure to hazardous occupational noise. The hierarchy of controls (include citation: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/reducenoiseexposure/noisecontrols.htmlhttps://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/reducenoiseexposure/noisecontrols.html ) is a guideline for reducing hazardous noise. First, the company can eliminate the noise source. If the noise source cannot be eliminated, the company must try to reduce the noise with alternative methods. This process is called acoustic quieting. INSERT MEDIA: HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS

Acoustic quieting is the process of making machinery quieter by damping vibrations to prevent them from reaching the observer. The company can isolate the certain piece of machinery by placing materials on the machine or in between the machine and the worker to decreases the signal intensity that reaches the worker 's ear.

Noise decreases as distance from its source increases. When two identical noise sources are side by side producing a recorded noise of, say, 100 dB(A) the reduction in noise from removing one of the noise sources is about 3 dB, resulting in 97 dB(A). When the distance to a noise source is doubled the recorded noise level is reduced by 6 dB, sometimes called the Rule of 6. UNECESSARY

The noise attenuation in decibels at a distance from the source, knowing the SPL at distance , is. If the distance is doubled, i.e., the attenuation becomes 6.02 dB (6 for most practical purposes).Experts have developed a number of standards for noise reduction and isolation of its sources from people. UNECESSARY

To decrease an employee's exposure to hazardous noise, the company can also take administrative control s by limiting the employee's exposure time. This can be done by changing work shifts and switching employees out from the noise exposure area. Lastly, to decrease industrial occupational noise exposure, Personal protective equipment  hearing protection should be used. There are several types of earplugs and earmuffs that can be used to attenuate the noise down to a safe level.

For a more detailed description of the hierarchy of controls, please see Occupational hearing loss.

 

Regulation[edit] MOVE TO FIRST SUBHEADING
  In the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) work together to provide standards and regulations for noise in the workplace. Industrial noise can also be regulated by legislation. A 2012 Cochrane review found low-quality evidence that legislation reduced industrial noise both immediately and in the long-term.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) have all set standards on hazardous occupational noise in their respective industries. Each industry is different, as workers ' tasks and equipment differ, but most regulations agree that noise becomes hazardous when it exceeds 85 decibels, for an 8-hour time exposure (typical work shift). This relationship between allotted noise level and exposure time is known as an Exposure action value (EAV) or Permissible exposure limit (PEL). The EAV or PEL can be seen as equations which manipulate the allotted exposure time according to the intensity of the industrial noise. This equation works as an inverse, exponential, relationship. As the industrial noise intensity increases, the allotted exposure tie, to still remain safe, decreases.

The above calculations of PEL and EAV are based on measurements taken to determine the intensity of that particular industrial noise. A-weighted measurements are commonly used to determine noise levels that can cause harm to the human ear. There are also special exposure meters available that integrate noise over a period of time to give an Leq value (equivalent sound pressure level), defined by standards.

Initiatives[edit]
Since the hazards of occupational noise exposure were realized, programs and initiatives such as the US Buy Quiet program have been set up to regulate or discourage noise exposure. The Buy Quiet initiative promotes the purchase of quieter tools and equipment and encourages manufacturers to design quieter equipment machines. Additionally, the Safe-In-Sound Award was created to recognize successes in hearing loss prevention programs or initiatives.

See also[edit]
General:
 * Hearing conservation program
 * Buy Quiet
 * Earplug
 * Earmuffs
 * Protective clothing
 * A-weighting
 * ITU-R 468 noise weighting
 * Weighting filter
 * Equal-loudness contour
 * Safe-In-Sound Award Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention
 * Health effects from noise
 * Noise control
 * Noise pollution
 * Noise regulation