Noise Monitoring

If you are at risk of exposure to excess noise, monitoring should be done in your workplace.   The results of this monitoring will tell you what  your exposure is, and whether you and people who do similar work should be included in a Hearing Conservation Program.  Noise monitoring results are also used to determine when hearing protection is required to protect you.

If your exposure is continuous throughout the day (for example, if you spend your day in a noisy steam plant), it may be only necessary to measure the noise level present in your work area.  However, if you are exposed to varying, intermittent noise levels (such as numerous types of grounds maintenance or carpentry equipment), you may have to wear a noise dosimeter (picture on right) for a day to determine your daily noise exposure.

The Industrial Hygienist at USC Environmental Health and Safety can conduct this noise monitoring at the request of your department.

The second component of a Hearing Conservation Program pertains the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs).  The next slide is an overview of the types of HPDs.  Then we'll talk about each type in more detail.