Hearing Conservation Procedure

Procedure No.:2.
11
Hearing conservation procedure
Purpose
The purpose of this procedure is to prevent permanent and temporary
occupational hearing loss that may result from impulsive, intermittent or
continuous noise exposure.
Scope
All staff whose potential exposure to sound levels averaging greater than 85 dBA
for 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week or to periodic sounds that exceed 115
dBA, are required to participate in the Bashair Nimr international Hearing
Conservation Program. For the purposes of this program, the exposure is without
regard to possible attenuation provided by the use of hearing protective
equipment. Visitors and contractor personnel shall follow the provisions of this
procedure related to the required use of hearing protective devices in areas
above 85 dBA.
DEFINITIONS
 Administrative Control: Any procedure that limits daily noise exposure by
control of the work schedule.
 Audiogram: A record of an individual’s sensitivity for pure tones in each
ear at each of the following frequencies: 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000
and 6,000 Hz. (Note: information at 8,000 Hz is desirable but not always
available with automatic audiometric equipment).
 Baseline Audiogram: The audiogram against which future audiograms
are compared.
 dBA: The sound pressure level reading in decibels made on the A-
weighted network of a sound level meter at slow response.
 Criterion Level: The decibel level that will yield 100 percent dose, or an
EER of 1.0 in 8 hours.
 Decibel (dB): Unit of measurement of sound level (can be power or
pressure depending on the reference level).
 Engineering Control: Any procedure other than administrative control or
personal protection (earplugs, earmuffs) that reduces the sound level
either at the source of the noise or in the hearing zone of the employee.
 Hertz (Hz): Unit of measurement of frequency, numerically equal to cycles
per second.
 Impact or Impulsive Noise: Variation in noise levels that involve noise
peaks at intervals greater than one (1) second.
 Noise Dose (D): The cumulative noise exposure of an employee during a
workday, expressed in percent exposure.
 Noise Dosimeter: An instrument that integrates a function of sound
pressure over a period in such a manner that it directly indicates a noise
dose.
 Noise Exposure: The combination of exposure to a single noise level or
any combination of noise levels and the duration of exposure.
 Standard Threshold Shift: A change of hearing threshold relative to the
baseline audiogram of an average of 10 dB or more at 2,000, 3,000, and
4,000 Hz in either ear.
 Sound Level Meter: An instrument for the measurement of sound level.
 Time-Weighted-Average Sound Level (TWA): That sound level, which if
constant over an 8-hour exposure, would result in the same noise dose as
is measured.
Responsibility
Project manager
 Ensure the management support and leadership necessary to
provide a safe and healthy environment for employee’s compliance
with the Health and Safety Policy.
 Ensure that adequate resources are available to implement
appropriate measures
 Develop annual hearing conservation training.
 Provide guidance to managers on who is included in hearing
conservation program.
 Develop a training program to provide to all staff in the Hearing
Conservation Program.
 Provide hearing protection at no cost to employees.
Site manager
 Enforce the use of hearing protective devices in areas that expose
employees to noise levels at or above 85 dBA for an 8-hour TWA or
82dBA for a 12-hour TWA.
 Properly identify, through posting of signs, high noise areas with the
assistance of HSE.
 Notify HSE for evaluation when changes occur to equipment,
processes or personnel that may change the intensity of noise
output in the work areas.
HSE representative
 Conduct initial and periodic sound level surveys and additional noise
surveys of changes that may affect the work area.
 Provide direction on the selection of appropriate hearing protection
devices, establishing hearing protection required areas and on
required postings for high noise areas.
 Maintain records including sound level surveys and dosimetry
results.
 Develop a monitoring plan including sound level surveys and
personal dosimeter.
Employees
 Follow program requirements including wearing hearing protection
devices when required.
 Participate in annual audiograms.
 Participate in annual training.
General requirements
 Representative exposure assessments shall be performed when
there is an indication that an employee’s exposure to noise may
equal or exceed 85 dBA.
 Initial Determination
 All work areas producing sound levels in excess of 85 dBA

shall be identified by performing an initial noise survey then
subsequent noise surveys as processes change.
 Signs that clearly indicate a hazard of high noise levels and
the requirements to wear hearing protection shall be posted at
the entrance(s) to, and the periphery of, noise hazard areas.
 When it has been determined that an area or piece of
equipment produces noise levels that exceed an 8-hour TWA
of 85 dBA, periodic monitoring shall be conducted to identify
changes in noise output and to evaluate the feasibility of
engineering and administrative controls.
 Noise Dosimetry
 Noise dosimetry shall be repeated per a monitoring plan or

whenever any changes to facilities, equipment, work practices,
procedures, or noise control measures alter potential noise
exposures.
 Personal noise monitoring shall be conducted on the employee with
the greatest exposure potential, as determine by the HSE
 Dosimeters shall be configured with the following settings: the noise
threshold set at 85 dBA, the 8-hour criterion level set at 85 dBA, and
the exchange rate set at 5 dB.
 Affected employees (employees whose exposures have been
determined to exceed the 85 dBA Action Level for 8-hrs or 82 dBA
for 12-hr) shall be notified of the results of noise monitoring within 15
days.
 Engineering and Administrative Control of Noise

 Reasonable efforts shall be made to reduce employee exposure
through engineering and administrative controls. Such controls
may include selecting less noisy equipment, using noise-
dampening barriers, increasing the employee’s distance from the
source of the noise or reducing the time of exposure to the noise
through job rotation or a combination of the above.
Exposure duration (hrs ) Noise level (dBA)
8 90
6 92
4 95
3 97
2 100
1.5 102
1 105
0.5 110
0.25 or less
 Personal Hearing Protection
When engineering and administrative controls are not possible to

Effectively minimize exposures to noise the following apply:
 Employees exposed to sound levels that meet or exceed an 8-
hour TWA of 85 dBA shall wear hearing protectors.
 Employees exposed to impulse or impact noise exceeding 140
dBA shall wear hearing protectors.
 Hearing protectors shall provide enough attenuation to reduce
sound levels below 85 dBA.
 HSE can offer assistance in the selection of hearing protection.
Training
All employees exposed to noise levels that meet or exceed an 8-hr TWA of 85
dBA
shall be trained annually. The training will include:
 The effects of noise on hearing.
 Contributing factors that cause hearing loss.
 The purpose of hearing protection.
 Advantages and disadvantages of the different types of hearing protection.
 The attenuation factors of hearing protection.
 How to select hearing protection.
 How to properly use hearing protection.
 The purpose of audiometric testing and what it means.
 Employee responsibilities
 Employer responsibilities.
Record keeping
 Audiograms shall be maintained as a permanent part of employee medical
records and maintained for the duration of the affected employee’s
employment, plus 10 years with BNI H.O
 Sound level surveys and personal dosimetry results shall be kept with HSE
department.

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Procedure No.:2.

 All work areas producing sound levels in excess of 85 dBA

 Noise dosimetry shall be repeated per a monitoring plan or

 Engineering and Administrative Control of Noise

When engineering and administrative controls are not possible to

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