The Approach of the Federal Agencies to Noise as an Occupational Health Issue

摘要

It has long been understood that hearing loss considerably reduces the enjoyment of daily life and that occupational noise exposure is a major contributor to this problem. Noise has been considered a significant occupational hazard in the U.S. since the 1950's, especially considering both the significant social and economic losses due to worker Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). Occupational noise was first addressed in a federal regulation, the 'Walsh-Healy Public Contracts Act', in 1969. Since then, a variety of additional regulations, guidelines, and research results have been published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and various professional organizations. Financial compensation for hearing loss claims for the period1977-1987 has been estimated at $800 million (NIOSH, 1991), and it is clear that the trend is towards increasing exposure levels. In this panel session, invited occupational noise experts will discuss the adequacy of current U.S. Occupational noise policies, how these compare with policy developments in other parts of the world, and how well various federal agencies in the U.S. coordinate their policy-making activities. Specific topics that will be addressed include: which industries need additional noise policy coverage, what is the appropriate occupational noise exposure criterion (i.e., 85 vs. 90 dB(A)), and whether to use a 3-, 4-, or 5-dB exchange rate.