No published noise exposure assessment of occupational health and safety (OHS) consultants exists. An assessment was performed to quantify the noise level of OHS consultants while they were on site at a client's facility. OHS consultants wore a dosimeter set to A-weighting, slow response, 60 s log interval and a criterion level of 85dBA with a 3 dB exchange rate. Both the projected time-weighted average (TWA) and projected dose were recorded. Of the 32 noise assessments collected, three had projected TWAs that exceeded the occupational exposure limit of 85 dBA. Nearly 75% of the projected TWA measurements were equal or greater than the Action Level of 80 dBA. According to best practices, occupational noise levels greater than 80 dBA present a risk for noise-induced hearing loss and, therefore, a hearing loss prevention program should be implemented.
Keywords: Noise exposure; OHS consultant; noise-induced hearing loss; risk assessment.