Quiz Time

What is your favorite sound? Some people might say it is the sound of babies or children laughing. Others might think of a favorite song. And there are probably some people that love the sound of their partner expressing their love for them. There are all things that we like to hear. Hearing is important.

Occupational exposure to noise may affect our hearing. Let’s see what you know about occupational noise and hearing conservation. Test yourself with the below questions. We’ll put the answers at the end of the quiz.

 

1. What is a recommended method of knowing when your workplace is too loud and you should do something about it?

A. Your supervisor says it’s too loud.

B. You can’t hear someone who is two feet away talking in a normal voice.

C. In your car, you have to turn up the radio on the way home but turn the radio down in the morning on the way to work.

D. Someone measures the noise at your workplace with a dosimeter.

E. These can all be ways of knowing when your workplace is too loud.

F. None of these are ways of knowing when your workplace is too loud.

 

2. OSHA has established a limit to the amount of noise, measured in decibels (dBA), that you should be exposed to over an 8-hour time period. What is the regulatory limit?

A. 80 dBA

B. 90 dBA

C. 100 dBA

D. 110 dBA

 

3. OSHA has a scale of how long you can be exposed to certain levels of noise. You can be exposed to 85 dBA for time limit of 8 hours, according to OSHA. An average leaf blower is about 115 dBA. If you are operating a leaf blower, what is the time limit, according to OSHA?

A. 1 hour or 60 minutes.

B. 3/4 hour or 45 minutes.

C. ½ hour or 30 minutes.

D. ¼ hour or 15 minutes.

 

4. How loud does it have to be in the workplace for an employer to provide hearing protection like ear plugs, muffs, etc.?

A. 80 dbA for an average of 8 hours.

B. 85 dBA for an average of 8 hours.

C. 90 dBA for an average of 8 hours.

D. 95 dBA for an average of 8 hours.

E. Employers don’t have to provide hearing protection.

F. All employers must always provide hearing protection.

 

5. Other than wearing hearing protection, what are some ways that noise can be controlled in the workplace?

A. Enclosing motors or generators to dampen the sound.

B. Erecting barriers around noise generating equipment.

C. Replacing noisy equipment with less noisy equipment.

D. Placing noisy equipment further away from workers.

E. Only A and B are recommended ways to control noise.

F. All responses are recommended ways to control noise.

 

Weekly Challenge:

If you believe your workplace is noisy and want to find ways to control the noise, watch this video produced by the Canadian Centers for Occupational Safety and Health for some steps you could take and check out our online Hearing Protection course.

Answers:

 

1. E. All the responses are ways of knowing when the workplace is too loud.

2. B. The permissible exposure limit for noise in the workplace is 90 dBA. (OSHA sets the “action level” where employers must try to control or limit noise at 85 dBA.)

3. D. at 115 dBA, the time limit per OSHA is 15 minutes.

4. B. Hearing protection must be provided by the employer when noise levels reach 85 dBA for an average of 8 hours.

5. F. All the responses are recommended ways to control noise.