Construction Noise: Exposure, Effects, and the Potential for Remediation; A Review and Analysis

Abstract

More than one-half million construction workers are exposed to potentially hazardous levels of noise, yet federal and state Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) programs provide little incentive to protect them against noise-induced hearing loss. Construction noise regulations lack the specificity of general industry noise regulations. In addition, problems that characterize the construction industry, such as worker mobility and the large proportion of small businesses, make implementing hearing conservation measures more difficult. The apparent severity of exposure depends greatly on the measurement method, with the 3-dB exchange rate almost always showing higher average exposure levels than the 5-dB (OSHA) rule. Construction workers demonstrate hearing threshold levels that generally conform to those expected in manufacturing. The prevalence of hearing protection device (HPD) use among U.S. construction workers is very poor, partly because of perceived difficulties in hearing and understanding speech communication and warning signals. In addition, masking by noise of necessary communication and warning signals is of particular concern in construction, where recent research demonstrated the association between fatalities and the failure to hear reverse alarms. Judicial use of HPDs is of the utmost importance, along with avoiding overattenuation, selecting HPDs with uniform attenuation, and using noise-attenuating communication systems when possible. A successful hearing conservation program in British Columbia can serve as a model for the United States, with a long-standing positive safety culture, a high percentage of HPD use, improvement in average hearing threshold levels over the last decade, and a centralized record-keeping procedure, which helps solve the problem of worker mobility. However, controlling construction noise at the source is the most reliable way to protect worker hearing. U.S. manufacturers and contractors should benefit from the activities of the European Community, where noise control and product labeling in construction has been carried out for more than 20 years.

10-Year prospective study of noise exposure and hearing damage among construction workers

“…Despite a widespread recognition of the impacts of noise on hearing and other aspects of health, noise exposure in industry remains a significant problem,1 2 especially in the construction industry3 where noise exposure levels of about 87±5.5 dBA L EQ have been documented 4 5. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) among construction workers is common, with rates from 30% in operating engineers6 to over 50% in labourers 7.…”

Heavy construction equipment noise study using dosimetry and time-motion studies

“…When a machine has a designed noise control in place, such as a cab, the operator must be encouraged to keep the doors and windows shut to have the control work. A well operating air conditioner, available on most machines today, not only encourages the operator to maintain the noise control integrity of the fully enclosed cab, but promotes operator comfort and therefore higher job proficiency 4 . Maintenance must also be scheduled on the air conditioning and door and window seals and latches of the cab, to ensure the effectiveness of this sound absorber/barrier.…”

“…The data from this study and a series of other studies were used to populate a data base recommended by Suter 4 . The higher operators' noise doses came primarily from the largest bulldozers (Caterpillar D8Hs and D9G built from the late 1960's to early 1970's) which only had ROPS/FOPS and stack exhausts.…”

“…3 Therefore the data will be presented using the NIOSH REL criteria and the corresponding work-task. Suter 4 also recommends that a noise control database be developed, which was started with this study. The correlation of dosimeter and time-motion studies can be used to identify and prioritize noise control efforts, including maintaining designed noise controls, retrofitting engineering noise controls, administrative noise controls, and the use of personal protection equipment.…”

Acoustic Assessment of a Precast Factory in Kolkata, India

“…Recent estimates suggest that more than half a million construction staff is exposed to harmful noise (Suter, 2002;Lusk, Hong, Ronis, Eakin, Kerr, & Early, 1999 …”