Any employee who is actively working in or near a work environment where there is the potential for hearing damage or loss, either from short-term or long-term exposure, will be required to wear ear plugs or ear muffs. Environments that have the potential to cause hearing damage would be the pump rooms, weed-eating, mowing and operating saws and other loud industrial equipment. The OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.95 requires the use of hearing protection when the employee's noise exposure exceeds an eight-hour time-weighted average sound level (TWA) of 90 dBA (dose of 100 percent). Nonetheless, it is in the best interest of the employee to wear ear protection in virtually all work environments.
(Ord. 49-2005, passed 11-8-05)