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OSHA Standards for Noise Levels

OSHA standards for noise levels help protect employees who work in loud environments. Workers in many industries spend time around loud machinery and work equipment, which the OSHA considers a health hazard. Since too much noise exposure can damage an employee's hearing, the OSHA creates standards about specific noise levels that employees can tolerate before an employer must provide protective gear.

  1. Noise Levels

    • The OSHA publishes a chart that shows at which noise levels employees should have gear to protect their hearing. In an 8-hour day, OSHA standards for noise levels requires protective noise gear when an employee works around an average sound level of 85 decibels on the A scale.

    Monitoring

    • If employees are exposed to more than the maximum amount of allowable noise, OSHA standards for noise levels require employers to start monitoring the noise levels at the workplace.

    Notification

    • Employers must notify employees who encounter more than an 85 decibel average over an 8-hour period.

    Hearing Tests

    • If employees work in an environment with noise levels above 85 decibels averaged over 8 hours, the employer must provide employees with hearing tests in addition to earplugs or other protective gear.

    Recording and Reporting

    • The OSHA requires employers to record and report work-related injuries and illnesses, including occupational hearing loss. If hearing tests show that an employee's hearing threshold has changed by 10 decibels or more at frequencies of 2000, 3000 or 4000 hertz, OSHA standards require the employer to report the hearing loss to the OSHA on the OSHA Log 300 Form. Employers must also release this information to employees.

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