Explains the implications of the legislation and how to comply with it. As well as providing the background theory necessary to make noise and vibration measurement it show show to plan a survey and make assessments, and contains practical information about measuring equipment and protection devices.

In the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress declared that its purpose was to assure, so far as possible, safe and healthful working conditions for every working man and woman and to preserve our human resources. In this Act, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is charged with recommending occupational safety and health standards and describing exposure concentrations that are safe for various periods of employment-including but not limited to concentrations at which no worker will suffer diminished health, functional capacity, or life expectancy as a result of his or her work experience. By means of criteria documents, NIOSH communicates these recommended standards to regulatory agencies (including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA]) and to others in the occupational safety and health community. Criteria documents provide the scientific basis for new occupational safety and health standards. These documents generally contain a critical review of the scientific and technical information available on the prevalence of hazards, the existence of safety and health risks, and the adequacy of control methods. In addition to transmitting these documents to the Department of Labor, NIOSH also distributes them to health professionals in academic institutions, industry, organized labor, public interest groups, and other government agencies. In 1972, NIOSH published Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Noise, which provided the basis for a recommended standard to reduce the risk of developing permanent hearing loss as a result of occupational noise exposure [NIOSH 1972]. NIOSH has now evaluated the latest scientific information and has revised some of its previous recommendations. The 1998 recommendations go beyond attempting to conserve hearing by focusing on preventing occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). This criteria document reevaluates and reaffirms the recommended exposure limit (REL) for occupational noise exposure established by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1972. The REL is 85 decibels, A-weighted, as an 8-hr time-weighted average (85 dBA as an 8-hr TWA). Exposures at or above this level are hazardous. By incorporating the 4000-Hz audiometric frequency into the definition of hearing impairment in the risk assessment, NIOSH has found an 8% excess risk of developing occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) during a 40-year lifetime exposure at the 85-dBA REL. NIOSH has also found that scientific evidence supports the use of a 3-dB exchange rate for the calculation of TWA exposures to noise. The recommendations in this document go beyond attempts to conserve hearing by focusing on prevention of occupational NIHL. For workers whose noise exposures equal or exceed 85 dBA, NIOSH recommends a hearing loss prevention program (HLPP) that includes exposure assessment, engineering and administrative controls, proper use of hearing protectors, audiometric evaluation, education and motivation, recordkeeping, and program audits and evaluations. Audiometric evaluation is an important component of an HLPP. To provide early identification of workers with increasing hearing loss, NIOSH has revised the criterion for significant threshold shift to an increase of 15 dB in the hearing threshold level (HTL) at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, or 6000 Hz in either ear, as determined by two consecutive tests. To permit timely intervention and prevent further hearing losses in workers whose HTLs have increased because of occupational noise exposure, NIOSH no longer recommends age correction on individual audiograms.

New EU Physical Agents Directives on Noise and Vibration will be incorporated into UK law by February 2006. Explicit action levels for vibration will be introduced, while the action levels for noise will be drastically cut. In order to comply with these Directives, companies need to assess noise and vibration levels and provide necessary protection for their employees. They are also required to monitor and if necessary reduce noise and vibration risks. Managing Noise and Vibration at Work introduces noise and both hand-arm and whole-body vibration by explaining what they are and how they can affect the body, drawing out the similarities and differences between the hazards. It provides clear explanations of the requirements of the EU Directives and explains how to fulfill them. Practical information on measurement, making noise and vibration assessments, and approaches to controlling risk help the reader to understand the issues of noise and vibration exposure in the workplace. The text is supported by information and diagrams of measuring equipment, advice on how to plan a survey, worked examples of necessary calculations, and charts and diagrams that can be used in place of the calculations. Suitable hearing and vibration protection is detailed. Case studies help to set the subject in context and highlight common errors and pitfalls. The book fully covers the syllabuses of the Institute of Acoustics’ certificate courses in Workplace Noise Assessment and Management of Occupational Exposure to Hand-arm Vibration. It will also be of use to those studying for the Diploma in Acoustics and Noise Control. For those studying for the NEBOSH Diploma in Health and Safety, this book satisfies modules 1E and 2E. As the Institute of Acoustics syllabuses are based on the Health and Safety Executive's guidelines, the book will also be a useful up-to-date reference for: risk managers; Health and Safety advisors and managers; occupational hygienists; environmental health officers; and HSE inspectors, especially in the Construction, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Forestry sectors. Tim South is a Senior Lecturer in Acoustics at the School of Health and Human Sciences at Leeds Metropolitan University, and a member of the Institute of Acoustics’ Education Committee. He teaches the Institute of Acoustics courses for the Certificate of Competence in Workplace Noise Assessment, the Certificate in the Management of Occupational Exposure to Hand-arm Vibration, and also the Institute’s Diploma in Acoustics and Noise Control. He has extensive consultancy experience in workplace noise assessments, hand-arm vibration and whole-body vibration exposure assessments.

Exposure to noise at home, at work, while traveling, and during leisure activities is a fact of life for all Americans. At times noise can be loud enough to damage hearing, and at lower levels it can disrupt normal living, affect sleep patterns, affect our ability to concentrate at work, interfere with outdoor recreational activities, and, in some cases, interfere with communications and even cause accidents. Clearly, exposure to excessive noise can affect our quality of life. As the population of the United States and, indeed, the world increases and developing countries become more industrialized, problems of noise are likely to become more pervasive and lower the quality of life for everyone. Efforts to manage noise exposures, to design quieter buildings, products, equipment, and transportation vehicles, and to provide a regulatory environment that facilitates adequate, cost-effective, sustainable noise controls require our immediate attention. Technology for a Quieter America looks at the most commonly identified sources of noise, how they are characterized, and efforts that have been made to reduce noise emissions and experiences. The book also reviews the standards and regulations that govern noise levels and the federal, state, and local agencies that regulate noise for the benefit, safety, and wellness of society at large. In addition, it presents the cost-benefit trade-offs between efforts to mitigate noise and the improvements they achieve, information sources available to the public on the dimensions of noise problems and their mitigation, and the need to educate professionals who can deal with these issues. Noise emissions are an issue in industry, in communities, in buildings, and during leisure activities. As such, Technology for a Quieter America will appeal to a wide range of stakeholders: the engineering community; the public; government at the federal, state, and local levels; private industry; labor unions; and nonprofit organizations. Implementation of the recommendations in Technology for a Quieter America will result in reduction of the noise levels to which Americans are exposed and will improve the ability of American industry to compete in world markets paying increasing attention to the noise emissions of products.