Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Hearing conservation is an important part of workplace safety to protect employees from noise-induced hearing loss. This week, EHS Daily Advisor wrote about the importance of having a hearing conservation program in place. In that vein, the Song of the Week is a noisy indie rock ripper from the Pixies, “Planet of Sound.” The song […]
A special issue of the journal Seminars in Hearing highlights over 50 years of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) hearing loss prevention efforts, the institute announced October 16. NIOSH has conducted and supported basic and applied research into workplace noise exposures and hearing loss risks, as well as hearing conservation and […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine noise exposure and OSHA’s recommendations for exposure reduction. All of the human senses must be protected from hazards and damage in the workplace, including hearing. According to OSHA, the CDC estimates […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Region 7 office in Kansas City, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, has launched an inspection and enforcement program for occupational noise exposures in the Midwest. The regional emphasis program (REP) applies to federal enforcement offices in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska; Iowa has its own federally approved […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine how to reduce risks from noise exposure in the workplace. In nearly every industry, there are workers at risk for work-related hearing loss. It’s among the most common work-related illnesses thanks […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission August 26 downgraded a willful citation issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to serious for a Trenton, New Jersey, manufacturer’s failure to administer annual audiograms. The commissioners also vacated a machine guarding citation, ruling that the agency failed to demonstrate employee exposure. OSHA opened an […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Region V office in Chicago recently established a regional emphasis program (REP) of targeted outreach and enforcement of the agency’s occupational noise exposure standard (29 CFR 1910.95) in Midwest manufacturing facilities. OSHA Region V includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. “Earning a living […]
Medications could one day prevent noise-induced hearing loss, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH researchers recently contributed articles for a special issue of the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America exploring the potential for “otoprotective” pharmaceuticals to protect ears from noise damage.
When we think about hearing conservation programs, often the first places that come to mind are construction sites, loud manufacturing plants, or working around heavy machinery. But casinos are also loud, even more so if there’s a live band! Experts at Safety.BLR.com® recently gave some guidance to employers in recreation or entertainment industries where things […]