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Industrial noise/ occupational noise is the amount of acoustical energy (noise) received by an employees auditory system while they are working.
"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 https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/noisehearingconservation/index.html
Industrial noise is an occupational hazard linked to traditionally loud industries such as ship-building, railroad work, mining, welding and construction. Industrial noise, if experienced repeatedly, at a high intensity, for an extended period of time, can cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
NIHL caused by industrial noise can be classified as occupational hearing loss. (redundant?) [Maybe put this back up with your first sentence where you define industrial noise?]
Modern thinking in occupational safety and health further identifies noise as hazardous to worker safety and health in many places of employment and by a variety of means. (wording?) [Wording change: 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. ??]
Noise, in the context of industrial noise, is hazardous to a persons 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 the listener has to be exposed for long enough.
These factors have been taken into account by the governing occupational health and safety organizations as they determine the unsafe noise exposure levels and durations for their respective industries.
NIOSH, OSHA, MSHA, [Maybe spell these out? DO they have links to their own Wiki pages?] ..... 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 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 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.
Hazardous industrial noise can cause a permanent auditory threshold shift as excessive exposure to loud noises can damage the Hair cells in the ear. Please see Occupational hearing loss or Noise-induced hearing loss [for more information regarding the physiology of hearing loss ?]
Industrial noise can have other non-auditory effects on employees overall health..... (LIST OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS )and it also acts as a causal factor for stress and raises systolic blood pressure.
Noise can also effect the safety of the employee and the safety of others. Noise can be a causal factor in work accidents, both by masking hazards [maybe explain masking hazard?] and warning signals, and by impeding concentration. High intensity noise can interfere with vital workplace communication which increases the chance of accidents and decreases productivity.
Noise acts synergistically with other hazards to increase the risk of harm to workers. In particular, noise and toxic (e.g. some solvents, metals, asphyxiants and pesticides) have some ototoxic properties may affect the hearing function.[2][3]
Several methods of prevention exists to eliminate or reduce the hearing loss caused by workplace exposure.
Hierarchy of Controls[edit | edit source]
[edit]Main article: Hierarchy of hazard control
The hierarchy of controls provides a visual guide to the effectiveness of the various workplace controls set in place to eliminate or reduce exposure to occupational hazards, including noise or ototoxic chemicals. The hierarchy includes the following from most effective to least effective:
- Elimination: complete removal of the hazard
- Substitution: replacement the offers a smaller risk
- Engineering controls: physical changes to reduce exposure
- Administrative controls: changes in work procedures or training
- Personal protective equipment (PPE): individual equipment to reduce exposure, e.g. earplugs [9][10]
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