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SAFETY MOMENT, AUGUST 18

Know the 85 decibel action level

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Safety moment, August 18

Know the 85 decibel action level

Noise damage usually builds up slowly and does not hurt, so it is easy to miss until the damage is done. Hearing lost to noise does not come back, and hearing aids cannot make it like new. Noise can also leave you with ringing in your ears that never goes away. The good news is that this kind of hearing loss can be prevented.

SAFETY MOMENT

August 18

The hazard

Noise damage usually builds up slowly and does not hurt, so it is easy to miss until the damage is done. Hearing lost to noise does not come back, and hearing aids cannot make it like new. Noise can also leave you with ringing in your ears that never goes away. The good news is that this kind of hearing loss can be prevented.

The action

In general industry, an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels is the action level, and at or above it the employer must run a hearing conservation program (29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1) and (c)(2)). At or above that level, hearing protectors must be made available at no cost and replaced as necessary (29 CFR 1910.95(i)(1)). In construction, a continuing, effective hearing conservation program is required wherever sound levels exceed the values in the noise table (29 CFR 1926.52(d)(1)). (29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1))

ASK THE CREW

What could we change to make the work quieter?

From the talk: Noise and hearing protection. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

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