Noise Exposures of Rail Workers at a North American Chemical Facility

Details

• Personal Author:
  Breysse P ; Chen Y ; Landon P ; Breysse P ; Chen Y ; Landon P
• Description:
  Background: Both continuous and impact noise exposures of rail yards and railways have been historically understudied. We summarize noise exposures to rail workers at a large chemical facility in North America. Methods: Rail workers were surveyed over the course of three 12-hr shifts. Personal noise dosimeters were used to derive a 12-hr time-weighted average (LAVG), an 8-hr timeweighted average (LTWA), and a percent dose. Peak and maximum sound levels were also recorded during each sampling period. Six workers were sampled on three separate days for a total of 18 full-shift noise samples. Results: Full-shift noise exposures were all below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) and action level for a 12-hr workday. Peak impact sound levels exceeded 140 dB in 17 of 18 samples (94%) with a mean peak sound level of 143.9 dB. Maximum continuous sound levels were greater than 115 dBA in 4 of 18 samples (22%) with a mean maximum sound level of 113.1 dBA. The source of peak impact sound levels was a daily exposure to a concussion caused by a sudden break in a freight airline. Conclusions: Rail workers at this facility are at risk of noise induced hearing loss from high impact noise exposures. Peak impact and maximum continuous sound levels can be attenuated through the use of hearing protection or by increasing distances from railroad noise sources. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Railroads Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Noise Exposure-levels Hearing-conservation Hearing-level Hearing-loss Hearing Conservation Hearing Loss Noise-exposure Noise-induced-hearing-loss Noise-induced Hearing Loss Noise Exposure Standards Personal Noise Exposure Railroad-industry Sound

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article ; Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health ; Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America ; North America
• Pages in Document:
  364-369
• Volume:
  47
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20037374
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2005 Apr; 47(4):364-369
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. Patrick Breysse, Department of Environmental Health, Division of Environmental Health Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205-2179
• Email:
  pbreysse@jhsph.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Performing Organization:
  Johns Hopkins University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e4a95978b8e129110453b8987d3c7789249fda3de1e2a22a9169682e7dca4309ef064bd06c2a818e39c9a15b4e6d8f115095f918fa4d67651a6fc447ade522c0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/188475/cdc_188475_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 133.23 KB ]