A (Hi) Educational Monumental Industrial Engineered Approach To Workplace Noise!.

1. Workplace Noise: Dangers, Standards and Remedies:

If you have ever visited a commercial warehouse, factory floor, airport or construction site, to name only a few common workplace environments, you probably experienced some serious noise levels first-hand. 

While momentary exposure may not have done you any harm, employees who must spend hours at a time around noise risk permanent hearing damage. 

That's why OSHA (Occupational SAFETY AND HEALTH Administration) and other standards for hearing protection exist -- and why businesses must do everything possible to adhere to those standards.

Anatomy of a Noise Problem:

The human ear is lined with an array of tiny, delicate hairs known as cilia. 

The cilia vibrate in response to sound waves, and this vibration enables the brain to interpret the information as the everyday noises, music or other sounds that surround us every day, but when the cilia are exposed to excessive levels of sound over a period of time, they can lose their ability to vibrate normally, a condition that may be temporary at first and then become permanent with prolonged or multiple exposures. 

The results may include tinnitus, an annoying condition that conveys a constant ringing or stuffiness in the ears, and temporary or permanent HEARING LOSS. 

Unfortunately, many people who can simply avoid exposure to loud noise in their personal lives have no such option at their jobs, where they may be forced to endure loud noise eight or mores hours each day for years.

What You Can (and Should) Do:

Governments have long understood the need to protect employees from various forms of danger in the workplace, including the danger of hearing damage. 

The Occupational SAFETY AND HEALTH Administration (OSHA), a division of the United States Department of Labour, nas noted that noisy environments not only cause hearing damage, but they can also make communication between workers impossible "an invitation to accidents" and create an unduly stressful environment. 

OSHA regulations therefore call for workplaces to protect workers against noise exposure exceeding 85 decibels in a eight-hour period. 

(For reference, a heavy truck at 15 meters produces about 90 decibels, while a jack hammer can produce 100 decibels.) 

You can determine your workplace's noise level by measuring it with a device that displays an A-weighted decibel reading, the type of reading that corresponds most closely to human hearing perception. 

Even reducing the noise level by just three decibels effectively halves the impact on the ears.

If you find that your business produces too much noise for comfort, safety or health, don't panic; you can implement a variety of measures to maintain a healthier noise level in your workplace.

Sometimes the environment itself can be modified; for instance, an old, noisy piece of equipment can be replaced with a more efficient, quieter one, or an acoustical barrier can be placed between the noise source and the employees. 

In cases where this is impossible, employers can issue noise-reducing earplugs, HEADPHONES or earmuffs and require workers to use them properly and consistently as a condition of employment.

Hi Hearing Protection & Workplace Noise!.

Hi Hearing Protection & Workplace Noise!. 

Hi Overview of the employers responsibilities regarding hearing protection and workplace noise.

The dangers of excessive noise levels at work are well documented. Not only does loud noise pose a threat to workers’ hearing; it can also impair their ability to hear alarms and warnings in emergency situations. Then there are the legal and financial implications for your company if taken to court over hearing loss claims. 

These risks may be well known and understood, but what exactly are the employers responsibilities regarding hearing protection and noise at work as opposed to those of health and safety officers and noise consultants?

In broad terms, the Noise Regulations 2005 (click link here to view further information on noise regulations by the HSE Website) require that you assess the risks that workplace noise poses to your employees. 

You must ‘take action’ to reduce the noise exposure that leads to these risks, and provide employees with hearing protection in cases where noise cannot be adequately reduced through other means.

However, such guidance on employers responsibilities regarding hearing protection is rather vague. 

How, specifically, does one assess the risks, and what exactly is this action that one must take in order to reduce workers’ noise exposure (if required) so that it is within safe limits?

Employers Responsibilities Regarding Noise at Work;

You should first of all identify any particular areas that might present a noise risk. 

For example, certain vehicles, tools and machines may be preventing workers from communicating as easily as they might. 

Work out who is likely to be affected, and with the help of a someone who has the competence to carry out noise assessments such as a health and safety officer or noise consultant, make reliable estimates of these employees’ exposures.

These estimates should then be compared with the noise exposure action levels and limit values. 

The action levels are those at which specific action needs to be taken, while the limit values are those which absolutely must not be exceeded. 

These values include both the average level of noise exposure over a working day or week, and the maximum noise level (peak sound pressure) to which employees can exposed in a working day.

Soundproofing Your Smart Idea's!.

Hi Download Resource Select; By Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Website; Noise; Don't Loose Your Hearing; Click Here To Download. 

Hi Indoor Quality! Hi Poor Focus! 4 Hi Key Feature Golden Rules Of Ways To Improve Winter Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)!

Hi Indoor Quality! Hi Poor Focus!

4 Hi Key Feature Golden Rules Of Ways To Improve Winter Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)!

"Poor indoor air quality becomes a much bigger issue during the winter months, primarily because we spend a great deal of time indoors with the windows tightly closed.

And that means that any indoor pollutants have less chance of escaping and have a better chance of irritating building occupants."

Because 30% of the commercial buildings in the US already have poor IAQ issues, during the winter months occupants are even more likely to suffer the ill effects of exposure –including respiratory issues and allergies – to indoor pollutants.

So now businesses are footing the bills to cover the medical expenses of sick workers and they're also incurring costs because of lower productivity. US businesses see an estimated 33% drop in worker productivity that’s directly attributed to poor IAQ, according to Buildings.com. 

Click Link Here Or Image Above To Visit Buildings.com Website For Further Reading & To View Article Publication Of 3 Ways To Improve Winter IAQ.

- "Poor IAQ costs the US economy as much as $160 billion each year."

Here are four suggestions to help you improve winter IAQ in your building:

Open doors and windows as often as possible to reduce moisture levels and pollutants. When there is poor ventilation, pollutant levels (from cleaners, adhesives, etc.) are more concentrated, says Jennifer Meek, a customer service manager for Enviro-Solutions. See further reading on information publication article to Eliminate, Ventilate & Isolate, For Improving Winter IAQ By Sandy Smith on EHS Today website. 

Visit EHS Today Website For Further Reading On Winter IAQ by clicking the image above or link here.

1. Reduce the amount of chemicals used in a facility, especially those that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Meek recommends going through your chemical supply and replacing harsher chemicals with choices that emit fewer pollutants and VOCs.
2. Replace the air filters on your building’s HVAC system according to the manufacturer’s recommended schedule, notes Buildings.com. When you install the filters ensure that they’re secured tightly with no gaps between the frame and rack. This is crucial because respirable particles can pass through the gap without being filtered.
3. Select a quality filter, one that is mechano-electret, providing a balance of mechanical and electret efficiency. It should perform better than a filter that only uses mechanical efficiency as the electrostatic effects can better capture the submicron particles that can cause health issues.

Improved IAQ can have a great impact on work performance, while reducing absenteeism and healthcare issues, according to Robert Martin, an associate category manager for Kimberly-Clark Professional Filtration. Martin also claims the proof is in the statistics

 – better IAQ reduces respiratory illnesses by about 76% and improves employee productivity by about 20%.

Hi Focus Industry Shift Towards Sustainability Reporting!

Now moving on IAQ and shifting the focus on highlighting Regulators & Code Standards Of Industry Requirements & Implications, We ask will G4 simplify Sustainability Reporting?

Will G4 simplify sustainability reporting? The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) seems to think so.

GRI is one of the most well-known organizations in the sustainability field. 

The group promotes sustainability through offering reporting tools to organizations to help them become more sustainable.

GRI believes a sustainable global economy should offer profitability in conjunction with ethical behavior, environmental care and social justice.

GRI recently released its G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines as an update to G3, which was first introduced in 2006. Visit The Global Reporting Initiative Website by clicking the link above or image below to view detailed information on the G4 sustainability reporting guidelines and much more details. 

Click link here or image above to visit the website & view further detailed information on the G4 sustainability reporting guidelines. 

Much has changed in the sustainability world, making the G4 release greatly anticipated, especially considering that other sustainability reporting standards were released in the past seven years, drastically changing sustainability reporting.

GRI’s reporting system lets companies measure and communicate their sustainability information. GRI’s mission is to make sustainability reporting a standard practice.

- "The organization’s sustainability reporting framework is used widely throughout the world."

The sustainability reporting offers methods and metrics that measure and report sustainability performance. A company’s published report details the environmental, economic and social impacts caused by its everyday activities.

It also exhibits the organization’s values toward sustainability and its commitment to a sustainable economy. 

A report can help build trust with stakeholders and others, offering transparency and accountability.

The reporting guidelines are developed in a process that involves representatives from civil society, labor, business and financial markets. 

Additionally, auditors and experts from various fields offer their expertise, and GRI works closely with government agencies in different countries.

G4 includes G4 Online, a free-to-use, web-based tool to help organizations prepare sustainability reports.

GRI believes its latest guidelines will increase user-friendliness and accessibility. 

The emphasis in G4 is on encouraging organizations to provide only the information critical to their stakeholders. 

GRI says the reports will be more strategic, focused and easier to navigate.

According to GRI, the key improved features in G4 include:

• Up-to-date disclosures on governance, ethics and integrity, supply chain, anti-corruption and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Generic format for disclosures on management approach.
• Two “in accordance” criteria options, both focused on material aspects.
• GRI Content Index offering a transparent format to communicate external assurance.
• Technically reviewed content and clear disclosure requirements.
• Detailed guidance on how to select material topics, and explain the boundaries of where material impacts occur.
• Flexibility for preparers to choose the report’s focus.
• Flexibility to combine with local and regional reporting requirements and frameworks.
• Up-to-date harmonization and reference to all available and internationally accepted reporting documents.
• Overview tables, summaries and quick links to the specific components of the guidelines.
• Complete glossary, reference lists, and visual guidance.

As previously advised for Further Reading Read more about GRI’s G4 sustainability reporting.