Industrial Safety and

Environmental Management
23MECH40H

Prof. Tamer A. Mohamed

Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department
The British University of Egypt
 Noise
• Effects of Exposure to Noise
• Terminology
• Noise Exposure Standards
• Noise Measurement
• Noise Exposure Control
• Hearing Protection
• Health Surveillance
 Effects of Exposure to Noise
• There are many health and safety issues
associated with noise in the workplace.
– Health Effect
– Safety Effect
 Health Effect
• Temporary reduction in hearing sensitivity as a result
of short duration exposure to excessively loud noise.
• Temporary ringing in the ears as a result of short
duration exposure to excessively loud noise.
• Noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) – permanent loss of
hearing as a result of repeated exposure to excessively
loud noise.
• Tinnitus – persistent ringing in the ears as a result of
repeated exposure to excessively loud noise.
• Stress effects caused by irritating background noise.
 Safety Effect
• Inability to hear as a result of background
noise:
– hazards such as vehicles
– alarms and warning sirens
– conversation and spoken instructions
• Difficulty concentrating and an increase in
errors caused by background noise.
 Hazard Levels And Risks
• Factors hearing loss associated with exposure
to excessive noise:
– Intensity of the noise (sound pressure level).
– Duration of daily exposure.
– Total duration of exposure (number of years).
– Age of the individual.
– Coexisting hearing disease.
– Distance of the individual from the source of the
noise.
 Terminology
• The following basic terminology is used in the
measurement and assessment of noise
exposures in the workplace:
– Sound pressure level – a measure of the intensity
of the pressure wave moving through the air. It is
normally expressed using the decibel (dB) scale.
– Decibel (dB) – the unit of sound pressure level
(which can be subjectively thought of as the
loudness of the noise). The decibel scale is a
logarithmic scale; this means that relatively small
increases in decibel value actually represent very
large increases in intensity.
 Terminology
– Sound is any pressure change that can be
detected by the ear—typically a change in air
pressure.
• What we think of as sound, the eardrum senses
as fluctuations in atmospheric pressure.
 Terminology
– Exchange rate - relationship between intensity and
dose.
• If the intensity of an exposure increases by 5 dB, the
dose doubles, also referred to as the doubling rate.
– Noise - any unwanted sound.
– Noise dose - the noise exposure expressed as a
percentage of the allowable daily exposure.
• a 100% dose equals an eight-hour exposure
to a continuous 90-dBA noise.
– Noise-induced hearing loss - hearing loss attributed to
noise, for which nothing else can be determined.
Typical Decibel Levels
Scale for Combining Decibels
 Exercise
• Suppose that noise exposure at a workstation
is essentially due to four sources as follows:
– Machine A 86 dB
– Machine B 86 dB
– Machine C 82 dB
– Machine D 78 db
• What is the combined sound of all machines?
 Noise Exposure with Distance
• Doubling of distance results in reduction of
decibel level by 6 dB.
 Exercise
• A worker’s machine is located at a distance of
2 feet from the operator and produces a noise
exposure of 95 dB to the operator.
– How much is to be gained by moving the operator
to a position 4 feet from the machine?
– How much reduction could be achieved by a move
to a 8 feet?
 Noise Exposure Standards
• Occupational noise exposure is subject to law around the
world. The law varies between countries and regions and there
are no harmonised standards relating to technical terminology,
assessment technique or regulatory requirements.
• There is, however, general agreement on the occupational
exposure limit for noise: 85 dB(A) daily personal noise
exposure.
• This exposure limit is set on the basis that the amount of
damage done to the ear is dependent on the amount of energy
absorbed by the inner ear. This is determined by two factors:
– The noise level (measured in dB(A)).
– The duration of exposure (in hours and minutes).
 Noise Exposure Standards
• These two factors determine the “dose” of
noise absorbed. It is therefore necessary,
when undertaking a noise assessment, to
measure a worker’s actual exposure to noise
(which will fluctuate) and then to calculate
what the equivalent 8-hour exposure will be.
 Exposure dosage

• Where D= total shift noise exposure (“dose”) as a percent

of PEL
• Ci = time of exposure at noise level i
• Ti= maximum permissible exposure time at noise level i
• n= number of different noise levels observed
• PEL: Permissible Level (100%)
• AL: Action Level (50%)
Table of PELs for noise
 Exercise
• Noise-level readings shows that a worker
exposure to noise in a given plant is as follows:

Determine if the PEL has been exceeded or not. How

about the AL?
 Noise Measurements
• Noise assessments are usually only required
where there is likely to be significant exposure
to noise. Simple hearing checks can be used to
estimate noise levels; if normal conversation
cannot be heard at a distance of 2 meters
from the speaker then the noise levels are
likely to be in the region of 85 dB(A).
 Noise Meter
• Different types of noise meter that can be used
to undertake noise measurement include:
– Simple sound level meter – measures instantaneous
noise levels and can be used for spot checks or for
very simple surveys.
– Integrating sound level meter – measures noise over
a period of time and gives a time-weighted average
over that time period; useful for most noise surveys.
– Dosimeters – integrating sound level meters worn by
the worker and give a measure of personal noise
exposure; useful for work areas where people move
around a lot.
 Noise Exposure Control
• In simple terms noise exposure can be
controlled in three ways:
– Reduce the noise at source.
– Interrupt the pathway from source to receiver.
– Protect the receiver.
• The following sections deal with each of these
techniques in more detail.
 Reduce the noise at source
• Eliminate the source – completely remove the noise source; not practical in
many instances.
• Substitute the source – change the noise source for something else that does
the same job but generates less noise (e.g. change a petrol-driven machine for
an electric version).
• Maintenance – machinery often produces noise because it is in need of
maintenance.
• Damping – machine parts (especially metal surfaces) can sometimes resonate
in harmony with noise being produced by the machine (like a cymbal that rings
when hit). This exaggerates the noise generated. Damping changes the
resonance characteristics of the metal part to prevent it ringing in this way.
This can be achieved by changing the part, stiffening it or even adding material
to one side of it.
• Silencing – any machine that produces exhaust gases (e.g. a diesel generator)
should be fitted with a silencer on the exhaust to suppress noise.
 Interrupt the pathway from source
to receiver
• Insulation – in some instances it is possible to build an acoustic enclosure
around the noise source. Noise is generated inside the enclosure but cannot
penetrate through the walls to the outside work environment. For example, a
static diesel generator might be placed in a separate building with sound
insulating walls.
• Isolation – noise is often transmitted in the form of mechanical vibration from
machinery into supporting structures (e.g. from a compressor into the floor it
is mounted on). Isolation involves separating the machine from any
supporting structure using vibration absorbent mats or springs. This breaks
the transmission pathway.
• Absorption – once noise has escaped from its source it may travel directly to
the receiver through air or may be reflected off hard surfaces (such as walls
and ceilings). Absorption involves putting sound-absorbing material in the
workplace to absorb these sound waves before they can reach the receiver,
e.g. a sound-absorbent material might be used to line a wall, preventing
reflection of sound waves.
 Protect the receiver
• Acoustic haven – if the workplace is inherently
very noisy and it is not possible to apply the
above controls, then an acoustic haven might be
built that workers can retreat into to escape the
noisy environment.
• Hearing protection – if none of the above is
effective or possible then some form of hearing
protection should be used to reduce the amount
of noise that penetrates to the worker’s ear.
Ear defenders or muffs
Ear Plugs
 Hearing Protection Arrangements
• Whichever type of hearing protection is chosen,
arrangements should be made for:
– Information, instruction and training - on how to wear the
hearing protection; its limitations in use; cleaning,
maintenance and replacement arrangements.
– Safe storage - in hygienic locations.
– Cleaning:
• Ear defenders are often designed to be dismantled for easy
cleaning.
• Plugs are usually disposable.
– Maintenance – including routine inspection and
replacement of worn parts (e.g. cushions on ear defenders).
– Replacement – of lost or damaged items.
 Health Surveillance
• Health surveillance is appropriate for workers exposed
to high noise levels, in the form of audiometry.
• Audiometry is a medical test that quantifies the
sensitivity of a person’s hearing across a range of
frequencies (low pitch to high pitch).
• It normally involves the worker sitting in a sound-proof
booth with headphones on listening for faint beeps and
indicating when the beeps can be heard.
• The results can show whether a person’s hearing is being
affected by exposure to loud noise and, if so, to what
extent.
 Health Surveillance
• Audiometry should usually be carried out on all workers
potentially exposed at or above the 85 dB(A) exposure
limit (i.e. those working in mandatory hearing
protection areas). It might also be conducted on
workers with known hearing damage at lower levels (in
the EU, 80 dB(A)).
• Any worker who might potentially be exposed to
damaging noise levels should be given an audiometry
test when they first start work to establish a baseline for
their hearing and to indicate whether they have pre-
existing damage.
 Engineering and Administrative Controls

• Engineering and administrative controls represent

the first two controls:
– Remove the hazard and remove the worker.
• These controls should reduce hazardous exposure
to the point where the risk to hearing is eliminated,
or at least more manageable.
• Engineering controls are technologically feasible
for most noise sources, but their economic
feasibility must be determined on a case-by-case
basis.
 Engineering and Administrative Controls

• Assessing the applicability of engineering controls is a

sophisticated process.
– The noise problem must be thoroughly defined, and an
assessment of the effect of the controls on overall noise
levels should be made.
• Once identified and analyzed, the choice of controls
can be considered—influenced, to some extent, by the
cost of purchasing, operating, servicing, and
maintaining the control.
– An acoustical consultant may be hired to assist in the
design, implementation, installation, and evaluation.
 Engineering and Administrative Controls

• Administrative controls are changes in the work

schedules or operations that reduce noise exposure.
– Generally of limited use in industry because employee
contracts seldom permit shifting from one job to another.
– The practice of rotating employees between quiet and
noisy jobs may reduce the risk of substantial hearing loss in
a few workers, but actually increase the risk of small
hearing losses in many workers.
• A more practical administrative control is to provide
for quiet areas where employees can gain relief from
workplace noise.