Fauji Cement Company Limited Nizampur

HSE Bulletin October, 2023

“Life is worth listening to, protect your hearing”

Occupational Noise
What is Noise? hours & for 91 dB(A) the maximum exposure time is
Noise is commonly defined as any “unwanted 02 hours.
sound” which can result in hearing damage or Common Sources of Noise
harmful to health. Noise is one of the most common
In any workplace, there can be many sources of
occupational hazards in any workplace. When
noise. Loud machines and equipment are among the
machines (e.g. engines, power tools etc.) are
most common causes of high noise. As a guideline,
operated, they emit pressure waves which hit our
if you are within 1 meter of another person at work
ear causing vibrations in the eardrum. The intensity
and have to shout to be heard, the noise level is
of the vibrations in our eardrum determines how
likely excessive. Following are some of the common
loud the noise is and how much harm it can cause.
equipment & machinery which can be potentially
dangerous in terms of hearing damage:
 Generator Engines
 Air Compressors
 Blowers & Exhausts
 Electric Motors
 Power Tools
 Pressure Washers
 High pressure fluid lines
How Noise is Measured? Noise levels of the above mentioned equipment can
Noise is measured on a scale called Decibels dB(A) reach as high as 110 dB(A) measured at 1 meter
where 0 dB(A) is the threshold of hearing. It means from source.
that 0 dB(A) is the lowest possible sound a human
ear can hear. However it is important to know that
any 10 dB(A) increase in noise level will increase its
intensity to 10 times. In simple words, 10 dB(A) will
be 10 times greater, 20 dB(A) will be hundred times
greater & 30 dB(A) will be thousand times greater
than the threshold of hearing. So it is easy to
imagine how much damage to
human ear can occur at higher
noise levels i.e. 120 dB(A). How Noise effect us?
Simple instrument called “noise Noise can be dangerous in many ways to human
level meter” is used to check the health. There can be short term as well as long term
noise level in any area. effects depending upon the exposure. Short term
effects may include:
What are the Safe Limits?
 Headache
Damage caused by noise depends upon the
 High blood pressure
exposure time and noise level. An exposure to 85
dB(A) noise for 8 hours is considered the maximum  Fatigue
safe limit as recommended by NIOSH. It is important  Irritability
to note that NIOSH suggest to half the exposure  Ear pain
time for any 3 dB(A) increase in noise level. It means  Temporary hearing problem
that for 88 dB(A), the maximum exposure time is 04 However, long term effects are more dangerous.
Following are some of the serious long term effects be the next-best alternative to protect from
of exposure to high noise. exposure to noise. Example includes replacing an
Permanent Hearing Loss engine driven pump with electric motor pump.
Exposure to very high noise levels i.e. above 140 Engineering controls
dB(A) for very short period of time may burst the Engineering controls are all
ear drum causing permanent hearing loss of one or about making changes to
both ears. Such type of damage is rare and can machinery or equipment so that
occur in case of bomb or industrial explosions. the workers are exposed to less
Induced Hearing Loss noise. For example, using
This type of hearing loss is most common for high screens, barriers, enclosures and absorbent
noise area workers. The person does not lose the materials help to reduce noise level.
ability to hear sounds but he may not distinguish Administrative controls
the spoken words clearly. In this type, certain Administrative controls are used
nerves of inner ear are damaged from long term when it is not possible to reduce
exposure to high noise. noise exposure through
Threshold Shift elimination, substitution or
In this type of hearing loss, the person ability to engineering noise control
hearing the sound is lowered. A 20 dB(A) shift is measures. It includes placement of warning signs,
more common in workers of high noise area. In limiting the number of workers in high noise areas,
simple words, a 65 dB(A) sound will appear as 45 providing training and awareness, workers job
dB(A) to the affected person. rotations etc.
Tinnitus
Personal Protective Equipment
Tinnitus is condition where the sufferer hears
Use of personal protective
“ringing in the ear” every time he comes back from
equipment to reduce noise
a high noise area. This is a dangerous condition as
exposure is the least reliable
person’s ability to hear important warning alarms or
control. It is the last option in the
other sounds such as vehicle horns is impaired and
hierarchy of control and should
may lead him to serious indirect accident. Tinnitus is
be used as a last resort after all efforts to eliminate
occurred when the person is intentionally hearing
or reduce the noise levels have been exhausted.
high noise sounds. An example is listening loud
Common types of PPEs for noise protection are Ear
music on head phones daily.
Muffs & Ear Plugs.
How to reduce the risks?
Following hierarchy of controls should be adopted
to control the noise exposure:
Elimination
Elimination is a process of
completely removing the noise
source and is the most effective
way to prevent noise risks.
Examples of noise elimination
are avoiding the use of noisy
processes or machinery, outsourcing the noisy work
processes and moving the noisy operations away
from other work activities.
Substitution
Substitution is a process of
replacing noisy machinery or
equipment with quieter
alternatives. When elimination is
not possible, substitution of the
noisy machinery or equipment for quieter ones may