OSHA Extends Noise Control Comment Period

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OSHA Extends Comment Period and Announces Stakeholder Meeting on Noise Control Interpretation

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced there will be an extension for the official comment period on the proposed interpretation titled “Interpretation of OSHA’s Provisions for Feasible Administrative or Engineering Controls of Occupational Noise.” The official extension is 90 days, so interested parties are encouraged to submit comments by March 21, 2011. Additionally, the agency also announced that a stakeholder meeting would be held before the end of the comment period. The stakeholder meeting affords business owners and workers the opportunity to voice their concerns regarding the proposed noise interpretation.

The Assistant Secretary of Labor for the occupational safety and health, Dr. David Michaels said, “We’re very eager to get input from those parties who would be affected by this proposed interpretation.” Agency officials seek to make informed decisions that are in both the best interest of protecting workers and responsive to operating changes businesses would need to make, hence, OSHA’s review of the issue is not complete.

Statistics show that thousands of workers suffer from preventable hearing loss every year due to high noise levels at the workplace. Reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that in 2008 alone there were approximately 22,000 hearing loss cases. The high number of hearing loss cases may support the importance of making the enforcement of the hearing conservation standard consistent with other OSHA standards by clarifying critical terms such as, “feasible administrative or engineering controls.” Dr. Michaels said, “There is sufficient evidence that hearing protection alone cannot prevent workers from suffering preventable hearing loss. Easily applied administrative or engineering controls can and must be used to protect workers.”

There are several convenient ways for interested parties to submit comments:

  1. Online at http://www.regulations.gov.
  2. Mail or delivery (3 copies) to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket Number OSHA-2010-0032, U.S. Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20210, or by
  3. Fax (not longer than 10 pages) to 202-693-1648.

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