Text For Citation: 02 Item/Group: 004 Hazard:

29 CFR 1910.95(d)(2)(ii): Instruments used to measure employee noise exposure are not calibrated to ensure measurement accuracy: a.) 75D Assembly Department - One instance of the employer's continuing failure to comply with this standard involves an employee assembling fire dampers who was exposed to noise at 82.3% of the permissible daily noise exposure limit during measurements performed for 470 minutes on December 15, 2014. A zero exposure was assumed for the 10 minutes not sampled. For the 480 minute work shift employees would be exposed to the equivalent of an average sound level of 88.6 dBA, which is 1.04 times the action level of 85 dBA. The employer did not calibrate the Extech Sound level Meter prior to taking noise level readings in the work place. The employer's ongoing obligation is to ensure that noise exposure monitoring is conducted with a properly calibrated instrument. b.) 75D Assembly Department - One instance of the employer's continuing failure to comply with this standard involves an employee manufacturing and assembling the frames who was exposed to noise at 67.3% of the permissible daily noise exposure limit during measurements performed for 555 minutes on December 15, 2014. For the 9.25 hour extended work shift, employees would be exposed to the equivalent of an average sound level of 86.1 dBA, which is 1.02 times the reduced action level of 84.1 dBA. The employer did not calibrate the Extech Sound level Meter prior to taking noise level readings in the work place. The employer's ongoing obligation is to ensure that noise exposure monitoring is conducted with a properly calibrated instrument. c.) 75A Assembly Department - One instance of the employer's continuing failure to comply with this standard involves an employee manufacturing the vanes/blades who was exposed to noise at 82.6% of the permissible daily noise exposure limit during measurements performed for 606 minutes on December 15, 2014. For the 10.1 hour extended work shift, employees would be exposed to the equivalent of an average sound level of 87.0 dBA, which is 1.04 times the reduced action level of 83.3 dBA. The employer did not calibrate the Extech Sound level Meter prior to taking noise level readings in the work place. The employer's ongoing obligation is to ensure that noise exposure monitoring is conducted with a properly calibrated instrument.