Download or read book Investigation and Improvement of Occupational and Military Noise Exposure Guidelines written by Goley George and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Noise induced hearing loss is a significant problem in both the occupational and military settings. Current occupational noise guidelines use an energy based noise metric to predict the risk of hearing loss and thus ignore the effect of temporal characteristics of the noise. The practice is widely considered to underestimate the risk of a complex noise environment, where impulsive noises are embedded in a steady-state noise. A basic form for noise metrics is designed by combining the equivalent SPL and a temporal correction term defined as a function of kurtosis of the noise. Several noise metrics are developed by varying this basic form and evaluated utilizing existing chinchilla noise exposure data. It is shown that the kurtosis correction term significantly improves the correlation of the noise metric with the measured hearing losses in chinchillas. One of the investigated metrics, the kurtosis corrected A-weighted SPL, is applied to a human exposure study data as a preview of applying the metrics to human guidelines. A method to remove statistically unlikely outliers from the animal test data is also investigated. In addition to the basic temporal correction term for the characterization of complex noise exposures, a complex noise separation algorithm is explored to further characterize the exposure. In military noise settings, the effects of high intensity, impulsive noise on the auditory system are complex and difficult to quantify in a simple criterion. Several impulse noise criteria (e.g. MIL-STD 1474D, Pfander, Smoorenburg) are studied for their analytic structure to understand underlying basic assumptions. Then, these and other criteria are compared for their performance based on animal blast overpressure data. In occupational and military settings, a frequency-matched, weighted equivalent sound pressure level is investigated. The statistical correlations of this weight are compared with metrics currently in use. The possibility of developing a new noise standards according to the approach adopted in this study as well as remaining challenges are discussed.

Download or read book Noise and Military Service written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-01-20 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Institute of Medicine carried out a study mandated by Congress and sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide an assessment of several issues related to noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus associated with service in the Armed Forces since World War II. The resulting book, Noise and Military Service: Implications for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, presents findings on the presence of hazardous noise in military settings, levels of noise exposure necessary to cause hearing loss or tinnitus, risk factors for noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus, the timing of the effects of noise exposure on hearing, and the adequacy of military hearing conservation programs and audiometric testing. The book stresses the importance of conducting hearing tests (audiograms) at the beginning and end of military service for all military personnel and recommends several steps aimed at improving the military services' prevention of and surveillance for hearing loss and tinnitus. The book also identifies research needs, emphasizing topics specifically related to military service.

Download or read book Occupational Noise Exposure written by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book NIOSH Publications on Noise and Hearing written by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Occupational Noise Exposure written by Department of Health and Human Services and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2014-02-19 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress declared that its purpose was to assure, so far as possible, safe and healthful working conditions for every working man and woman and to preserve our human resources. In this Act, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is charged with recommending occupational safety and health standards and describing exposure concentrations that are safe for various periods of employment-including but not limited to concentrations at which no worker will suffer diminished health, functional capacity, or life expectancy as a result of his or her work experience. By means of criteria documents, NIOSH communicates these recommended standards to regulatory agencies (including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA]) and to others in the occupational safety and health community. Criteria documents provide the scientific basis for new occupational safety and health standards. These documents generally contain a critical review of the scientific and technical information available on the prevalence of hazards, the existence of safety and health risks, and the adequacy of control methods. In addition to transmitting these documents to the Department of Labor, NIOSH also distributes them to health professionals in academic institutions, industry, organized labor, public interest groups, and other government agencies. In 1972, NIOSH published Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Noise, which provided the basis for a recommended standard to reduce the risk of developing permanent hearing loss as a result of occupational noise exposure [NIOSH 1972]. NIOSH has now evaluated the latest scientific information and has revised some of its previous recommendations. The 1998 recommendations go beyond attempting to conserve hearing by focusing on preventing occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). This criteria document reevaluates and reaffirms the recommended exposure limit (REL) for occupational noise exposure established by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1972. The REL is 85 decibels, A-weighted, as an 8-hr time-weighted average (85 dBA as an 8-hr TWA). Exposures at or above this level are hazardous. By incorporating the 4000-Hz audiometric frequency into the definition of hearing impairment in the risk assessment, NIOSH has found an 8% excess risk of developing occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) during a 40-year lifetime exposure at the 85-dBA REL. NIOSH has also found that scientific evidence supports the use of a 3-dB exchange rate for the calculation of TWA exposures to noise. The recommendations in this document go beyond attempts to conserve hearing by focusing on prevention of occupational NIHL. For workers whose noise exposures equal or exceed 85 dBA, NIOSH recommends a hearing loss prevention program (HLPP) that includes exposure assessment, engineering and administrative controls, proper use of hearing protectors, audiometric evaluation, education and motivation, recordkeeping, and program audits and evaluations. Audiometric evaluation is an important component of an HLPP. To provide early identification of workers with increasing hearing loss, NIOSH has revised the criterion for significant threshold shift to an increase of 15 dB in the hearing threshold level (HTL) at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, or 6000 Hz in either ear, as determined by two consecutive tests. To permit timely intervention and prevent further hearing losses in workers whose HTLs have increased because of occupational noise exposure, NIOSH no longer recommends age correction on individual audiograms.

Download or read book Technology for a Quieter America written by National Academy of Engineering and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-10-30 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exposure to noise at home, at work, while traveling, and during leisure activities is a fact of life for all Americans. At times noise can be loud enough to damage hearing, and at lower levels it can disrupt normal living, affect sleep patterns, affect our ability to concentrate at work, interfere with outdoor recreational activities, and, in some cases, interfere with communications and even cause accidents. Clearly, exposure to excessive noise can affect our quality of life. As the population of the United States and, indeed, the world increases and developing countries become more industrialized, problems of noise are likely to become more pervasive and lower the quality of life for everyone. Efforts to manage noise exposures, to design quieter buildings, products, equipment, and transportation vehicles, and to provide a regulatory environment that facilitates adequate, cost-effective, sustainable noise controls require our immediate attention. Technology for a Quieter America looks at the most commonly identified sources of noise, how they are characterized, and efforts that have been made to reduce noise emissions and experiences. The book also reviews the standards and regulations that govern noise levels and the federal, state, and local agencies that regulate noise for the benefit, safety, and wellness of society at large. In addition, it presents the cost-benefit trade-offs between efforts to mitigate noise and the improvements they achieve, information sources available to the public on the dimensions of noise problems and their mitigation, and the need to educate professionals who can deal with these issues. Noise emissions are an issue in industry, in communities, in buildings, and during leisure activities. As such, Technology for a Quieter America will appeal to a wide range of stakeholders: the engineering community; the public; government at the federal, state, and local levels; private industry; labor unions; and nonprofit organizations. Implementation of the recommendations in Technology for a Quieter America will result in reduction of the noise levels to which Americans are exposed and will improve the ability of American industry to compete in world markets paying increasing attention to the noise emissions of products.

Download or read book The Noise Manual written by Elliott H. Berger and published by AIHA. This book was released on 2003 with total page 810 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Topics covered include fundamentals of sound, vibration and hearing, elements of a hearing conservation program, noise interference and annoyance, regulations, standards and laws.

Download or read book Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-07-29 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

Download or read book Hearing Health Care for Adults written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-10-06 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The loss of hearing - be it gradual or acute, mild or severe, present since birth or acquired in older age - can have significant effects on one's communication abilities, quality of life, social participation, and health. Despite this, many people with hearing loss do not seek or receive hearing health care. The reasons are numerous, complex, and often interconnected. For some, hearing health care is not affordable. For others, the appropriate services are difficult to access, or individuals do not know how or where to access them. Others may not want to deal with the stigma that they and society may associate with needing hearing health care and obtaining that care. Still others do not recognize they need hearing health care, as hearing loss is an invisible health condition that often worsens gradually over time. In the United States, an estimated 30 million individuals (12.7 percent of Americans ages 12 years or older) have hearing loss. Globally, hearing loss has been identified as the fifth leading cause of years lived with disability. Successful hearing health care enables individuals with hearing loss to have the freedom to communicate in their environments in ways that are culturally appropriate and that preserve their dignity and function. Hearing Health Care for Adults focuses on improving the accessibility and affordability of hearing health care for adults of all ages. This study examines the hearing health care system, with a focus on non-surgical technologies and services, and offers recommendations for improving access to, the affordability of, and the quality of hearing health care for adults of all ages.

Download or read book Occupational Hearing Loss written by Richard E. Ginnold and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Noise Induced Hearing Loss written by Colleen G. Le Prell and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-10-30 with total page 377 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exposure to loud noise continues to be the largest cause of hearing loss in the adult population. The problem of NIHL impacts a number of disciplines. US standards for permissible noise exposure were originally published in 1968 and remain largely unchanged today. Indeed, permissible noise exposure for US personnel is significantly greater than that allowed in numerous other countries, including for example, Canada, China, Brazil, Mexico, and the European Union. However, there have been a number of discoveries and advances that have increased our understanding of the mechanisms of NIHL. These advances have the potential to impact how NIHL can be prevented and how our noise standards can be made more appropriate.

Download or read book Magnesium in the Central Nervous System written by Robert Vink and published by University of Adelaide Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The brain is the most complex organ in our body. Indeed, it is perhaps the most complex structure we have ever encountered in nature. Both structurally and functionally, there are many peculiarities that differentiate the brain from all other organs. The brain is our connection to the world around us and by governing nervous system and higher function, any disturbance induces severe neurological and psychiatric disorders that can have a devastating effect on quality of life. Our understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of the brain has improved dramatically in the last two decades. In particular, the critical role of cations, including magnesium, has become evident, even if incompletely understood at a mechanistic level. The exact role and regulation of magnesium, in particular, remains elusive, largely because intracellular levels are so difficult to routinely quantify. Nonetheless, the importance of magnesium to normal central nervous system activity is self-evident given the complicated homeostatic mechanisms that maintain the concentration of this cation within strict limits essential for normal physiology and metabolism. There is also considerable accumulating evidence to suggest alterations to some brain functions in both normal and pathological conditions may be linked to alterations in local magnesium concentration. This book, containing chapters written by some of the foremost experts in the field of magnesium research, brings together the latest in experimental and clinical magnesium research as it relates to the central nervous system. It offers a complete and updated view of magnesiums involvement in central nervous system function and in so doing, brings together two main pillars of contemporary neuroscience research, namely providing an explanation for the molecular mechanisms involved in brain function, and emphasizing the connections between the molecular changes and behavior. It is the untiring efforts of those magnesium researchers who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the mysteries of magnesiums role in biological systems that has inspired the collation of this volume of work.

Download or read book Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Research Animals written by Committee on Occupational Safety and Health in Research Animal Facilities and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1997-06-23 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Much has been written about the care of research animals. Yet little guidance has appeared on protecting the health and safety of the people who care for or use these animals. This book, an implementation handbook and companion to Guide For the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, identifies principles for building a program and discusses the accountability of institutional leaders, managers, and employees for a program's success. It provides a detailed description of risks-- physical and chemical hazards, allergens and zoonoses, and hazards from experiments--which will serve as a continuing reference for the laboratory. The book offers specific recommendations for controlling risk through administrative procedures, facility design, engineering controls, and periodic evaluations. The volume focuses on the worker, with detailed discussions of work practices, the use of personal protective gear, and the development of an emergency response plan. This handbook will be invaluable to administrators, researchers, and employees in any animal research facility. It will also be of interest to personnel in zoos, animal shelters, and veterinary facilities.

Download or read book Model Rules of Professional Conduct written by American Bar Association. House of Delegates and published by American Bar Association. This book was released on 2007 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Download or read book Night Noise Guidelines for Europe written by Charlotte Hurtley and published by WHO Regional Office Europe. This book was released on 2009 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The WHO Regional Office for Europe set up a working group of experts to provide scientific advice to the Member States for the development of future legislation and policy action in the area of assessment and control of night noise exposure. The working group reviewed available scientific evidence on the health effects of night noise, and derived health-based guideline values. In December 2006, the working group and stakeholders from industry, government and nongovernmental organizations reviewed and reached general agreement on the guideline values and key texts for the final document of the "Night noise guidelines for Europe". Considering the scientific evidence on the thresholds of night noise exposure indicated by "Lnight,outside" [L suffix night,outside] as defined in the Environmental Noise Directive (2002/49/EC), an Lnight, outside of 40 dB should be the target of the night noise guideline (NNG) to protect the public, including the most vulnerable groups such as children, the chronically ill and the elderly. "Lnight,outside" value of 55 dB is recommended as an interim target for the countries where the NNG cannot be achieved in the short term for various reasons, and where policy-makers choose to adopt a stepwise approach. These guidelines are applicable to the Member States of the European Region, and may be considered as an extension to, as well as an update of, the previous WHO "Guidelines for community noise" (1999). [Ed.]

Download or read book Niosh Criteria for a Recommended Standard Occupational Exposure to Heat and Hot Environments written by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (U.S.) and published by National Institute on Drug Abuse. This book was released on 2018-08-03 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Occupational exposure to heat can result in injuries, disease, reduced productivity, and death. To address this hazard, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has evaluated the scientific data on heat stress and hot environments and has updated the Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Hot Environments [NIOSH 1986a]. This updated guidance includes information about physiological changes that result from heat stress, and relevant studies such as those on caffeine use, evidence to redefine heat stroke, and more. Related products: Weather & Climate collection is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/weather-climate Emergency Management & First Responders can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/emergency-management-first-responders Fire Management collection is available here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/fire-management

Download or read book Information on Levels of Environmental Noise Requisite to Protect Public Health and Welfare with an Adequate Margin of Safety written by United States. Office of Noise Abatement and Control and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: