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Overview. The NIOSH recommended exposure limit (REL) for occupational noise exposure is 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA) over an eight-hour shift. If workers are repeatedly exposed to noise at or above the REL, employers must provide a hearing loss prevention program.
NIOSH established a recommended exposure limit (REL) of 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA) averaged over an eight-hour workday. Workers who are exposed to noise at or above the NIOSH REL are at risk of developing significant hearing loss over their working lifetime.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 22 million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year. Whether you work at a sports venue, on a tarmac, or operate a jackhammer—hearing loss is preventable. Know Your Workplace Noise Levels!
Noise hazards are addressed in OSHA standards for recordkeeping and general industry. This section highlights OSHA standards and documents related to noise. For information on construction employment, see the construction requirements section.
This blog post points out an important difference between a recommended occupational noise exposure level and what constitutes a safe noise exposure level for the general public.
Exposure to Noise is measured in units of sound pressure levels called decibels, using an A-weighted sound levels (dBA). There are several ways to control and reduce worker exposure to noise in a workplace where exposure has been shown to be excessive.
According to OSHA's standards, employers must implement a hearing conservation program "when noise exposure is at or above 85 decibels averaged over 8 working hours, or an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA)." This does not mean you have to be exposed to eight continuous hours of loud sound to qualify for help with noise exposure.
How loud is too loud? The WHO guidelines for community noise recommend less than 30 A-weighted decibels (dB (A)) in bedrooms during the night for a sleep of good quality and less than 35 dB (A) in classrooms to allow good teaching and learning conditions.
A permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 90 decibels, A-scale (dBA) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA). A TWA exposure is the average noise exposure as integrated over an 8-hour monitoring duration. An allowance of louder noise exposures for shorter periods of time for compliance with the PEL, as long as the TWA exposure does not exceed 90 dBA.
These recommendations suggest a 24-hour day with an average exposure of 70 dBA (see sources). The EPA recommendations are considerably lower than those of OSHA or NIOSH. However, the EPA guideline is not specifically for hearing protection, but is intended to maintain overall comfort in noise.