IMPORTANT: Hearing protection provides a barrier to noise and protects employees but is not considered a control of the noise hazard. Separate requirements apply to hearing protection and are found in WAC
296-817-20015.
You must: • Reduce employee noise exposure, using feasible controls, wherever exposure equals or exceeds 90 dBA TWA
8.
| Note: | • Once noise exposures are brought below 90 dBA TWA8, no further reduction is required. However, further reduction of noise may reduce the need for other hearing loss prevention requirements |
| • Controls that eliminate noise at the source or establish a permanent barrier to noise are typically more reliable. For example: |
| – Replacing noisy equipment with quiet equipment |
| – Using silencers and mufflers |
| – Installing enclosures |
| – Damping noisy equipment and parts. |
| • Other controls and work practices may also be useful for reducing noise exposures. Examples include: |
| – Employee rotation |
| – Limiting use of noisy equipment |
| – Rescheduling work. |
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. 03-11-060, § 296-817-20010, filed 5/19/03, effective 8/1/03.]