Health Hazard Evaluation Program: Evaluation of Noise Exposures at a Metal Walkway Manufacturer [HHE-2021-0138-3423]

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Evaluation of Noise Exposures at a Metal Walkway Manufacturer
• Personal Author:
  Charles, Melissa ; Hayden, Marie A. ; Brueck, Scott E.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  Employees of a metal walkway manufacturer confidentially requested a health hazard evaluation due to concerns about the potential for hearing loss from noise exposures in production areas of the facility. The company manufactured metal walkways and mezzanines from sheet metal using equipment such as reticulators (equipment which perforates metal), press brakes, riveters, mesh welders, and waterjets. We visited the workplace in September 2022, to measure employees' noise exposures in the production areas of the facility. We completed the following activities during our evaluation: (1) measured production employees' full-shift personal noise exposures; (2) took sound level and noise frequency measurements across production areas; (3) observed work processes, production practices, workplace conditions, and spoke with employees and management; and (4) reviewed workplace hearing conservation program documents. Employees' noise exposures in all the jobs we monitored were above National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) noise exposure limits. Noise exposures in most jobs were also above Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) noise exposure limits. We observed some deficiencies in hearing protection use such as not rolling foam insert hearing protectors into a narrow cylinder before insertion into the ear or not fully inserting hearing protection into the ear. To reduce noise exposures, we recommended using engineering controls, properly adjusting and maintaining equipment to reduce noise from rattles, squeaks, and compressed air hisses, implementing a "Buy Quiet" program by purchasing new equipment that produces less noise, and improving hearing protection use.
• Subjects:
  Ear Engineering Hearing Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Sense Organs
• Keywords:
  Earplugs Hearing Loss Hearing Protection Metal Manufacturing Sound
• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study ; Case Report
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  28 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070996
• Citation:
  NIOSH [2023]. Evaluation of noise exposures at a metal walkway manufacturer. By Charles M, Hayden MA, Brueck SE. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2021-0138-3423, https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2021-0138-3423.pdf.
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  332323 - Ornamental and Architectural Metal Work Manufacturing - (NAICS)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fd867eb53dbc5ab93cf6e2837ec6cd8d028d8384e7e767e3a7c1301e0be39a0c6156a635aa1706db98c11d35c9b40e791474c2485a020f7439ab4aba5f357828
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/232216/cdc_232216_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 675.21 KB ]