Similar to respirators, there are many different types of hearing protectors. If you find hearing protection devices in a laboratory, ask the occupants who uses them, why, and where. Make notes so that you can discuss with the EHS staff member responsible for administering the UNL Hearing Conservation Program (HCP). This staff member should be able to tell you if we have conducted an exposure assessment and whether the users are currently enrolled in UNL’s HCP.
This checklist item would be cited if persons in the laboratory are using hearing protectors but EHS has not evaluated the noise exposure. When citing this checklist item due to lack of an exposure assessment, clearly state that the EHS staff person responsible for the HCP will follow-up with them to determine whether noise levels exceed occupational limits.
This checklist item would also be cited if you suspect that hearing protection is necessary because you experience loud noise while in the laboratory, but after consulting with the responsible EHS staff member you discover that noise exposures have not been evaluated. This is regardless of whether hearing protectors are present. In this case, clearly state that the responsible EHS staff member will be in touch to arrange for a noise exposure assessment to determine if enrollment in UNL’s HCP is warranted.
This checklist item would also be cited if hearing protectors are not being worn, but should be because we have already determined that noise levels exceed occupational limits. You would likely learn this from the door posting or in consultation with the responsible EHS staff member. In this case you should describe your observations and clearly state that the EHS staff member responsible for the HCP will conduct additional follow-up.
To get an understanding of noise levels that may necessitate an exposure assessment, the waste compactor at EHS produces approximately 90 dBA of noise. This noise level would exceed the OSHA action limit of 85 dBA-8hr TWA if a worker operated the compactor continuously for more than 4 hours during a work shift (The actual calculation for exposure is more complex).