Product Description

Designed and written as a practical workplace training and reference tool. This 127-page pocket guide is filled with clear-language text including safety tips, charts, diagrams, checklists and illustrations.

Objectives

This guide will enable you to:

• Develop an understanding of recognition methods and control methods for occupational noise exposure;
• Identify jobs that can potentially pose a risk of harmful noise exposure;
• Plan workplace noise surveys and personal noise exposure measurements;
• Understand noise survey data and identify needs for further action; and
• Develop and implement a hearing conservation program.

Scope

This guide provides basic knowledge and skills for preventing hearing loss due to noise exposure. It presents a step by step approach for dealing with workplace noise problems, namely:

• Recognize potential noise problems;
• Measure workplace noise levels and personal noise exposure levels (noise dose);
• Evaluate the risk of hearing loss;
• Develop and implement noise controls; and
• Evaluate the effectiveness of controls.

This guide is written in plain, non-technical language. Details of mathematical techniques for calculations using decibel and other logarithmic quantities are beyond the scope of this guide. Such information is available from the Inquiries Service of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). For a detailed technical evaluation of noise exposure and implementation of control measures, a noise specialist should be consulted.

Target Audience

This guide is for workers, their supervisors, health and safety committee members, health and safety representatives, industrial hygienists, occupational health and safety nurses and others with an interest in hearing conservation. The technical level of this guide meets the needs of the target audience.

Each publication produced by CCOHS undergoes several stages of review. As part of this review, representatives from government, employers, and labour are requested to comment on draft copies of CCOHS documents for technical accuracy and readability.

Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy and completeness of the information, it is understood that CCOHS makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of such information and assumes no liability for any damages or loss suffered as a result of any inaccuracy or incompleteness therein.