OSHA publishes safety bulletin
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released a new Safety and Health Information Bulletin titled Hearing Protector Fit Testing: Ensuring Appropriate Noise Protection at Work.
The bulletin addresses what workplace noise exposure is considered hazardous, health issues associated with excessive noise, the benefits of noise reduction, the unique ear canal sizes and shapes of each worker, and the role of hearing protector fit testing for providing a measure of how well an earplug fits a worker.
The new guidance explains how hearing protector fit testing can be used to reduce noise for workers with hearing protectors at work without interfering with their ability to hear important sounds around them, such as warning signals.
Hearing protector fit testing is not required under OSHA’s Occupational Noise Exposure standard (29 CFR 1910.95) but can be a valuable training tool for workers. OSHA has adopted hearing protector fit testing as part of its Field Safety and Health Management System and encourages employers that have employees exposed to noise to add this to their hearing conservation programs.
CPWR conducts heat illness prevention survey
CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training—is conducting a research study to improve heat illness prevention and better protect construction workers.
The study includes a short survey for roofing professionals. To participate, visit cpwr.az1.qualtrics.com.
CPWR is also looking for companies to invite CPWR researchers to worksites to observe the heat illness prevention protections companies already have in place. For more information, contact Gavin West, project director at CPWR, at (301) 495-8522 or gwest@cpwr.com.
