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BACKGROUND

The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promulgated a noise standard in 1974 and published a Hearing Conservation Amendment to this standard in 1983. The current Michigan requirements are based on regulations promulgated by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) on June 16, 1993 (R325.60101-325.60128 and Appendices AD). The OSHA standard provides worker protection against the effects of noise exposure when sound levels exceed a time-weighted average level of 85 decibels over an 8-hour workday, or for higher levels of noise exposure over shorter periods (see Table I). If noise monitoring identifies Workers who are exposed to these levels, the employer must institute a continuing, effective hearing conservation program.

TABLE 1 – Permissible Noise Exposures
Duration per day, hours	Sound level dBA, slow response
8	90
6	92
4	95
3	97
2	100
1-1/2	102
1	105
1/2	110
1/4 or less	115

MSU's Hearing Conservation Program (HCP) consists of five distinct areas.

Monitoring

Hearing Convservation Table of Contents

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