ASSE Asks OSHA to Lower Exposure Limit For Occupational Noise by Five Decibels

The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration should lower its permissible exposure limit (PEL) for noise from 90 decibels (dBA) to 85 dBA by use of personal protective equipment, the American Society of Safety Engineers told OSHA head David Michaels in a Feb. 23 letter.

The ASSE letter opposed OSHA’s October 2010 proposal to reinterpret its noise standards in a way that would require employers to reduce dangerous levels of noise through administrative or engineering controls, rather than by providing personal protective equipment, provided the cost of doing so did not threaten the employer’s ability to stay in business ...