Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 002A Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.95(c)(1): The employer did not administer a continuing, effective hearing conservation program as described in 29 CFR 1910.95 (c) through (o) whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level of 85 decibels measured on the A scale, or equivalently a dose of fifty percent: (a) Countertops Plant; An employee working in laminate, finish line 0, was exposed to continuous noise levels at 62.02% of the allowable time-weighted average (TWA) sound action level of 83.4 dBA during the 578 minute sampling period conducted on February 28, 2018. The equivalent dBA level of 62.02% for 578 minutes is approximately 86.5 dBA. Zero exposure was assumed for the unsampled time period of 22 minutes. NOTE: The 8-hour TWA sound level of 85 dBA prompts the requirement of a hearing conservation program (HCP), and shall be adjusted for work shifts less than or longer than 8 hours. Employees working in the Countertops Plant worked 10 hour shifts. When making the adjustment the following formula is used: Action Level (AL)= 90 + 16.61 x Log {50/{12.5[(hours)]}; therefore, the AL in which a HCP would be required is reduced to the AL of 83.4 dbA to account for employees extended exposure.