Verified Document

How To Control Workplace Noise Essay

Noise Controls Engineering controls should be the first choice for dealing with noise pollution issues in the workplace, and this is NIOSH policy - they have three categories that all involve engineering and all three are ranked higher than administrative controls and PPE (NIOSH, 2015). Engineering solutions would include designing noise buffers around particular pieces of equipment, whereas administrative controls would reflect things like supplying protective equipment or scheduling people to reduce their exposure to unsafe noise levels. There are two reasons for this. First, an engineering solution is a one-time fix that hopefully will solve the problem, so that it no longer needs to be dealt with. Second, an engineering solution deals with the problem by reducing the amount of noise, where an administrative solution merely works around the problem, but the problem still persists.

There are some instances where it is onerous to use engineering controls first. In some situations, the cost would be prohibitive. A good example is in a mine -- there may not b enough space to implement engineering controls without dramatically increasing costs. It may be cheaper and easier to implement administrative...

Alternatively, there are situations when the noise is a temporary issue, again rendering the engineering cost a poor value. If the administrative solution is the easier an cheaper of the two, in most cases that it what should be implemented.
OSHA may wish to lower its bar a little bit. The way that the rule is written -- especially the clause "threaten the employer's ability to remain in business" -- places a potentially heavy burden on the company. The ability to remain in business is dictated by a lot of things but overall an approach that is project-based might make more sense. The availability of the project is probably a better approach rather than framing the issue as being in respect to the business as a whole. This part is definitely onerous -- they should not have left it out, but they should have reframed it in a more realistic manner.

There is no question that if PPE fails the hazard still remains, but in some cases that is reality -- heavy equipment in particular is just plan loud. PPE may not be enough, but ultimately a balance has to be struck. PPE should be enough in certain situations -- I feel that noise controls should be on a best efforts basis, not based on…

Sources used in this document:
References

NIOSH (2015). Controls for noise exposure. Centers for Disease Control. Retrieved December 4, 2015 from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noisecontrol/
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Noise Pollution Thermal and Acoustic
Words: 6532 Length: 20 Document Type: Term Paper

S. However, Russia continues to treat noise exposure as a minor problem. American physicians have associated some seemingly unrelated conditions to sound exposure. Long-term exposure to transportation noise has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk (Babisch, 2006). Hearing loss can occur at even low levels of sound that occur for an extended time (Sisto et al., 2007; Reuter et al., 2007; Dobie, 2007). Noise related hearing loss can occur in

Workplace Safety
Words: 2136 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

Workplace Safety Employee health and safety management Most U.S. firms are offering disease management and health promotion programs to employees to address the increasing health care costs through improving employee lifestyle and overall health. Nevertheless, the U.S. has not been efficient in providing employees with integrated comprehensive health programs. Comprehensive programs of promoting employee health might encompass a series of strategies including supportive environments, health education, accessing support services, employee integration into

Workplace Stress Define Workplace Stress:
Words: 2181 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

The person no longer finds it possible to perform their job or manage their personal life. Withdrawal from others, anger, grief and rage are some of the emotions felt. There are often suicidal or homicidal thoughts and over-reaction to minor events, agitation, frequent accidents, carelessness, forgetfulness and paranoia are the emotions. The victim has muscle tremors, loss of appetite and feels extreme chronic fatigue. At this point, only significant

Workplace Safety and Risk Management
Words: 3463 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

6). DO-IT stores have been designed in the past to keep the safety of its employees and customers constantly in mind. The company understands that accidents can happen but that any steps taken to avoid an accident is money well invested. It knows that doing business in a country like the United Kingdom "puts direct cost of accidents in the billions of dollars" (Thye, par. 10) per year. With

Noise Vibration and Thermal Stress Risk
Words: 753 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Noise Excessive noise in the workplace is associated with several negative health outcomes. In the workplace, exposure to excessive noise can be commonplace, but such chronic exposure can have lasting consequences. OSHA (2015) notes that noise exposure is one of the most common occupational hazards, with some 30 million workers being exposed to high noise levels at some point in any given year. The organization's statistics shows that since 2004, 125,000

Occupational Health and Safety Workplace
Words: 4960 Length: 13 Document Type: Term Paper

A surprising exclusion by the OSH happens to be a certain area of paid domestic work, which is largely dominated by female workers. Several occupational safety and health standards and exposure limits to hazardous substances are founded on male populations or laboratory tests and associate in a great deal in favor of male work areas. This apart, occupational accident and diseases which are listed for compensation purposes give better

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now