The History of OSHA Noise Standard

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) noise standard, which traces its history back to the pre-OSHA days of 1969, sets limits on the amount of noise that employers can expose their employees to while on the job. This standard is aimed at preserving the hearing of employees.

Rationale

• OSHA noise standards enforce workplace safety for the protection against hearing loss. Both short-term exposure to extremely loud noises and long-term exposure to moderately loud noises can cause permanent hearing loss.

Before OSHA

• In 1969, The Department of Labor issued a noise standard under the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act, applying it to the protection of all employees of companies who do business under contract with the federal government.

OSHA Applies its Standard

• Shortly after the Labor Department set its noise standard, OSHA came into being. In 1971, OSHA took that standard and applied it as law for all employers in the country. For instance, the standard required that an employee not be exposed to 115 decibels of noise for more than 15 minutes in a single day. The standard required employers to reduce exposure with engineering controls or by issuing protective headgear.

Ten Years of Revision

• In 1972, OSHA began ten years of revision debate on its standard. The debate centered on two points. First, OSHA considered whether to lower minimum regulated sound level from 90 decibels to 85 decibels. Second, the agency debated whether companies should use protective headgear, or engineering and administrative controls, as their main method of complying with the standard.

OSHA Publishes HCA

• In 1981 OSHA published its Hearing Conservation Amendment (HCA), which reduced the minimum noise level to 85 decibels and also made specific requirements for providing nose protection gear to employees. The noise standard also requires employers to perform hearing tests to monitor how their protection measures are doing.