OSHA recently renewed its Regional Emphasis Program on workplace noise and worker hearing loss in the mid-Atlantic region.
The agency renewed the program, which was first established in 2018, to focus its efforts on manufacturing industry employers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the District of Columbia for five more years.
Sawmills, ornamental metal products sectors added to program
Three manufacturing industry sectors were also added to the program after data showed that they presented a higher risk of noise exposure. The new sectors are sawmills and wood preservation, other wood manufacturing, and ornamental and architectural metal products.
“We renewed our Regional Emphasis Program for High Level Noise to continue to remind manufacturing industry employers … that federal safety standards for noise protection must be followed to protect workers from unnecessary and potentially permanent harm,” OSHA Regional Administrator Michael Rivera said.
Hearing loss a hazard for 22 million U.S. workers
Hearing loss is a common workplace health concern that is a hazard for about 22 million U.S. workers, according to OSHA. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found 12,000 workers suffered work-related hearing loss in 2021 with 9,700 of those workers employed in the manufacturing industry.
OSHA requires employers to have a hearing conservation program when the average noise exposure over eight working hours reaches or exceeds 85 decibels. That’s comparable to the sound of city traffic or a gas-powered leaf blower.
The OSHA Philadelphia Region Office will be hosting a discussion on this Regional Emphasis Program at 1 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 13, 2023. To register, click here.
