Noise in Construction

Construction sites can have very hazardous noise levels, and they often are transient situations where different trades come to the site for short periods of time to perform their work. Depending upon the type and stage of construction, this work may be indoors, outdoors or both.

The activities and job functions at a construction site are constantly changing as the job progresses. For example, when a new building is being constructed, carpenters may build forms for the cement workers to then pour the foundation; steel workers may erect steel structures and do welding; then the building is enclosed by other workers including stucco workers, roofers and brick masons. Once the building is enclosed, carpenters, ventilation installers, electricians and plumbers begin their work, followed by drywallers, carpenters, painters and floor and ceiling men.

Each of the different trades use very different equipment to perform their jobs, and therefore, the noise created may vary. These tasks often overlap, so workers performing jobs that are relatively quiet may be exposed to noise from the other trades working around them. Table 1 (bottom of next page) illustrates the 10 loudest noise level tasks on the worksite.

Table 1 also shows that all of the trades listed are at risk of significant noise exposure. Even electricians, a seemingly quiet trade, are susceptible to noise levels above the OHSA limit.

CONTROLLING NOISE

As mentioned above, construction site noise is varied and always changing, depending upon the activities taking place. Industrial noise often is predictable, since many industrial sites have noise characteristics that do not change from day to day. For example, a shop floor, which has production equipment and operates on a daily basis, has noise levels that generally do not change unless something in the production area changes. Such changes can range from the addition of equipment, to the changing of the materials being processed and produced, to machine malfunctions and changing of the workspace, such as the addition or removal of walls. Once the changes are made, the noise levels often return to a steady and predictable state.

Noise during construction also may be more difficult to control and more difficult to ensure that hearing protectors are being used properly because of constant changes in location, the size of the construction site and the transience of the work force. These situations make construction noise just as hazardous as any other type of noisy environment, but far more difficult to remediate.

Noisy activities on construction sites include the use of jackhammers, dump trucks, cement mixers, cement cutters, electric saws, tamping machines and welding machines, as well as noise generated from hand tools such as sledgehammers and drills.

The noise generated from these activities easily can exceed the OSHA limit of 90 dBA and require the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs). The noises may be continuous or they may be impulse noise where the noise created is of high intensity, but for very short duration. Table 2 shows the average noise level and the maximum noise level achieved by the 10 loudest tools at construction sites, based on their average noise levels.

OBJECTIONS TO WEARING HPDS

Although noise levels on construction sites often can exceed 90 dBA, construction employees do not always wear hearing protection. Some of their most common complaints are that hearing protectors are uncomfortable, hot and create a situation where they cannot hear warning signals or fellow workers. In addition to employees finding it a nuisance to wear the appropriate hearing protection, other common issues that prevent workers from wearing their HPDs are that they are not trained properly, do not have access to the appropriate HPDs or simply are unaware of the need for hearing protection.

These objections must be overcome to protect construction workers' hearing when noise levels exceed the limits allowed. Appropriate evaluation and monitoring of the worksite, educational programs, training and adequate provision of HPDs can be a start to help make construction workers aware that many activities on the worksite have potentially hazardous noise levels.

Because of the demographics of today's work force, employers should be able to provide training in several languages if necessary. Training presentations can be purchased in various languages and can be used to fulfill some of the training requirements.