SHOULD OSHA PROVIDE HEARING PROTECTION TO CONSTRUCTION WORKERS?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is seeking comments until November 4, 2002 on whether the agency should add a requirement for a hearing conservation program to its construction noise standard similar to the requirements covering general industry workers. This could include providing hearing protection, hearing tests, and periodic noise exposure monitors to workers exposed to high noise levels. Every year as many as 750,000 U.S. construction workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels. Among these workers, regular hearing protection is only worn about 15-33 % of the time. In an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR), OSHA is requesting input on whether the general industry requirements should be applied to construction work and, if so, how these requirements should be adapted for the construction industry. OSHA’s current construction noise standards require employers to protect workers from hazardous noise and provide hearing protection devices to workers enga
