THE HANDICAP RESULTING FROM NOISE-INDUCED HEARING LOSS

1. THE HANDICAP RESULTING FROM NOISE-INDUCED HEARING LOSS • Communication • Self-Esteem • Interaction with Environment • Intimate Relationships

2. 1995 Construction Employment Data and NIOSH Estimates (1981-1983) of Numbers Exposed at or above 85 dBA

3. Type of Construction Number Av. Range samples dBA dBA Residential 7 93.1 87.2-96.1 Roads/bridges 16 93.2 84.0-100.4 Shop work 26 94.9 84.5-103.8 Maintenance 2 95.2 91.4-97.2 ICI 23 96.2 81.3-108.0 Sewer/water 17 98.8 85.3-107.5 Plant work 6 100.7 86.7-106.0 Power station 6 107.7 92.7-113.0 Total 103 98.8 81.3-113.0 Notes: Shop work = work in a contractor's fabrication shop ICI = industrial, commercial, or institutional Plant work = work in a construction contractor's plant Average noise exposure levels (daily Leq) by type of construction. (Adapted from Sinclair and Haflidson, 1995)

4. Average Daily Noise Exposure Levels (8-hour Leq) of Heavy Equipment Operators and Associated Laborers in dBA

7. COMBINED EXPOSURES NOISE AND OTHER AGENTS • Lead • Vibration • Carbon Monoxide • Chemicals • Solvents Toluene Xylene

9. Estimated Numbers of Workers Exposed at or above 85 dBA and Percent using HPDs. (NIOSH percentage estimates (1981-1983) using 1995 Construction Employment Data.)

10. HEARING PROTECTOR USE AMONG CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

11. HEARING PROTECTORS PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

12. AUDIOMETRIC TESTING

13. ACCIDENTS IN CONSTRUCTION

14. BACK-UP ALARMS

15. Typical worker exposure, dBa 70 80 90 100 110 120 | | | | | | Diesel-powered rotary drills………... Electrically driven rotary drills……... Machine-Mounted percussion…….. drills (surface) Crawler tractors……………………... Electric shovels and draglines…….. Diesel-powered draglines, cranes… shovels, and hydraulic excavators Haulage trucks……………………… Scrapers……………………………... Front-end loaders…………………... Graders………………………………. Coal augers…………………………. | | | | | | 70 80 90 100 110 120 Quieted Unquieted SURFACE MINING EQUIPMENT INDEX