Midwest: Region 5
For the full details of OSHA’s Regional Emphasis Program, please click here.
Every year thousands of workers suffer from preventable hearing loss due to high workplace noise levels. According to 1999 - 2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data cited by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 2019, about 25% of all workers have been exposed to hazardous noise, with 34% of noise-exposed workers reporting not wearing hearing protection, while approximately 12% of all workers have hearing difficulty1.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2019 approximately 163 million workers were employed in United States2. According to the Occupational Requirements Survey data published by BLS for 2019 (the most recent year for which data is available and not impacted by COVID-19 pandemic), for all civilian workers in United States, a moderate noise intensity level was present for 76.9 percent of workers, and another 8.6 percent were exposed to a loud noise intensity level3. In the production occupations group (i.e., goods produced), a category that includes, but is not limited to, engine assemblers, structural metal fabricators and fitters, computer- controlled machine tool operators, forging machine setters, machinists, pourers and casters, tool and die makers, furniture finishers, etc., about half (52.3 percent) of workers were not using personal protective equipment to mitigate noise intensity4. According to BLS, the incident rate for hearing loss for all private industries nationwide was 1.4 per 10,000 full time workers. However, the national average hearing loss rate for All Private Manufacturing remains much higher, with 8.6 cases per 10,000 full time workers5.
The intent of this Regional Emphasis Program is to encourage employers to take steps to identify, reduce, and eliminate hazards associated with exposure to high levels of noise. OSHA in Region V proposes to accomplish this through outreach and enforcement activities. Outreach activities may include letters to employers, training sessions with stakeholders, electronic information sharing activities, and news release broadcasts. Enforcement activities will begin not earlier than three months after outreach is initiated and will include, but not be limited to, the inspection and review of operations and working conditions, injury and illness records, and safety and health programs to identify and obtain corrections of workplace hazards at all applicable inspection sites.
Sources
1 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Overall Statistics - All U.S. Industries – Occupational Hearing Loss. August 27, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ohl/overall.html Accessed February 25, 2021.
2 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Table 2.1 Employment by Major Industry Sector. September 1, 2020. https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/employment-by-major-industry-sector.htm Accessed February 25, 2021.
3 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Requirements in United States News Release. May 28, 2020. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ors_05282020.htm. Accessed February 25, 2021.
4 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Requirements Survey: Occupational Profiles. https://www.bls.gov/ors/factsheet/pdf/ors_occupational_profiles.pdf Accessed February 25, 2021.
5 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) TABLE SNR08. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational illness, by industry and category of illness, 2019. https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/os/snr08_00_2019.xlsx Accessed February 25, 2021.
