BB: job osha ears ringing
Sean Cleary
I would like to keep my hearing.
The job has these really good fans, about the size and shape of a
truck wheel. They are noisy. Yesterday I left work with ears ringing.
(I am 50.) Today, I turned off the fans and could hear my fellow line
workers talking with out shouting. Yesterday this was not true. My
present station is isolated, and I can turn off the nearest fan. But
they will try to shift me other where to cross train me at all
positions. What can I do? (the fans are not the only noise, the
honking of the alarms or what ever is also there. With only one
source, my ears might have a chance.
What I have done: this is via an temp agency that has an agent on the
site. Temp agency rules say that such complaints should go to the temp
agent. I have emailed him, and got a reply that implies that he will
look into the noise.
may be this is enough.
Sean
Ace Lightning
There are a number of different types of hearing protection
you can buy, and if it's well-designed, you can still hear
conversations (at least when they're shouted over noise).
Find a good safety-equipment store, and explain what you need.
(Soft rubber earplugs may be enough protection, since you're
not operating noisy machinery or waving jet planes into
position.)
The TheatrElf
Ear-plugs are fairly cheap - if you get them at a home-
improvment store and not the pharmacy. They're the same thing,
only the price is different.
Hearing protection is an OSHA requirement. We supply them at
our shop - hell, in bulk they cost about a dime a pair for
disposables, even ordering through Grainger.
And you can hear people talking with them in place.
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( http://home.attbi.com/xjahn
We intend to destroy all dogmatic verbal systems.
To reply: chrisjahn AT MyRealBox.com
Denny Wheeler
<thea...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Ear-plugs are fairly cheap - if you get them at a home-
>improvment store and not the pharmacy. They're the same thing,
>only the price is different.
And you'll see a dB rating on them. I run *loud* machines at work,
and use soft-foam earplugs with no problem. You can also get hearing
protection that looks like a set of old-fashioned ear-covering
headphones. And there are other kinds as well.
>Hearing protection is an OSHA requirement. We supply them at
>our shop - hell, in bulk they cost about a dime a pair for
>disposables, even ordering through Grainger.
>
>And you can hear people talking with them in place.
Yes--I think your workplace is--if it isn't supplying hearing
protection to all workers in noisy areas, temps or
'regulars'--violating OSHA's rules. Your temp agency no doubt
wouldn't care for whistle-blowing, but I damnwell guarantee *they*
won't do any. They might get you some hearing protection, but that
should have been done the first time someone from the agency went
there. (I suspect your temp agency might be liable, along with the
workplace, if you suffer hearing damage. But IANAL.)
The TheatrElf
>
>>Hearing protection is an OSHA requirement. We supply them
>>at our shop - hell, in bulk they cost about a dime a pair
>>for disposables, even ordering through Grainger.
>>
>>And you can hear people talking with them in place.
>
> Yes--I think your workplace is--if it isn't supplying
> hearing protection to all workers in noisy areas, temps or
> 'regulars'--violating OSHA's rules. Your temp agency no
> doubt wouldn't care for whistle-blowing, but I damnwell
> guarantee *they* won't do any. They might get you some
> hearing protection, but that should have been done the
> first time someone from the agency went there. (I suspect
> your temp agency might be liable, along with the workplace,
> if you suffer hearing damage. But IANAL.)
>
OSHA only requires that the employer makes sure that the
employees uses appropriate safety equipment, it does not require
that the employer supply it.
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( http://home.attbi.com/xjahn
Meditation is not what you think.
Mary Creasey
Sean Cleary <seanea...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1c5ac0c6.02100...@posting.google.com...
> I would like to keep my job.
> I would like to keep my hearing.
> The job has these really good fans, about the size and shape of a
> truck wheel. They are noisy. Yesterday I left work with ears ringing.
> (I am 50.) Today, I turned off the fans and could hear my fellow line
> workers talking with out shouting. Yesterday this was not true. My
> present station is isolated, and I can turn off the nearest fan. But
> they will try to shift me other where to cross train me at all
> positions. What can I do? (the fans are not the only noise, the
> honking of the alarms or what ever is also there. With only one
> source, my ears might have a chance.
Do what I've done for 30 years in a noisy Postal mail processing
plant: wear foam-rubber earplugs. They are provided here, but you
can get them at any sporting goods store (I like the "E.A.R." brand
myself). (Why sporting goods stores? Because no one practices with
_firearms_ without hearing protection, if they have any sense at all.)
The nice thing about these are that they are cheap, and mitigate the
worst of the noise while still allowing you to hear conversations and
other important items (like the fire alarm).
Mary the Filker
Denny Wheeler
<thea...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>OSHA only requires that the employer makes sure that the
>employees uses appropriate safety equipment, it does not require
>that the employer supply it.
Well, this employer is evidently not doing *anything* along those
lines.
(the company I work for does nothing they don't absolutely have to,
and we get hearing-tested yearly, and free earplugs. Or, the first
'earmuff' set is free. )
<drift>
Some of the OSHA rules are a bit... ridiculous. We have to blow metal
slugs out of our machines as part of keeping them producing good
parts. OSHA made us put on air-nozzles with holes at the base to
reduce the blowing pressure. "it's a safety measure" -- but the holes
at the base tend to blow right in one's face.
-d-
Denny Wheeler
<cre...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>Do what I've done for 30 years in a noisy Postal mail processing
>plant: wear foam-rubber earplugs. They are provided here, but you
>can get them at any sporting goods store (I like the "E.A.R." brand
>myself). (Why sporting goods stores? Because no one practices with
>_firearms_ without hearing protection, if they have any sense at all.)
>The nice thing about these are that they are cheap, and mitigate the
>worst of the noise while still allowing you to hear conversations and
>other important items (like the fire alarm).
Check a place like Home Depot; I find them to be cheaper at such
stores than at sporting-goods stores.
Neil
>On Wed, 09 Oct 2002 13:24:33 GMT, The TheatrElf
><thea...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>OSHA only requires that the employer makes sure that the
>>employees uses appropriate safety equipment, it does not require
>>that the employer supply it.
>
>Well, this employer is evidently not doing *anything* along those
>lines.
Sounds like the biggest noise source is the fans.
If this is a summer-only thing, or if the fans are
turned on and off by the workers, the company
may not know the problem exists. See what
happens now that it's been reported.
>(the company I work for does nothing they don't absolutely have to,
>and we get hearing-tested yearly, and free earplugs. Or, the first
>'earmuff' set is free. )
>
><drift>
>Some of the OSHA rules are a bit... ridiculous. We have to blow metal
>slugs out of our machines as part of keeping them producing good
>parts. OSHA made us put on air-nozzles with holes at the base to
>reduce the blowing pressure. "it's a safety measure" -- but the holes
>at the base tend to blow right in one's face.
There are quite a few designs of blow-off nozzles
out there - have you tried one with a swivel? Look
at McMaster-Carr's catalog, www.mcmaster.com ,
page 2399 (Enter the page number in the "find"
field on their start page). Or use a pressure regulator
and get the air line under 30 psi, in which case
OSHA 1910.242(b) 100-1 does not apply.
Luria
Manufacturing Engineer
djohnson
As others have said, earplugs. I wear them whenever noise is annoying,
even if not required.
Foam ones work the best, but may block too much noise, and they aren't
as convenient if you'll be taking them in and out frequently. My
favorites are a yellow rubbery kind, with 3 half-spheres on a central
shaft, connected with a blue plastic string. I can stick them in deep
to block out lots of noise, or barely stick them in when it's not all
that noisy, or if I can't quite hear someone. I typically attach mine
somehow--Currently, it's to the cord of my safety glasses, at my former
job it was usually to my nametag.
Conversations aren't that much of a problem with earplugs--If I can't
hear you with earplugs, I probably can't hear you over the noise anyway.
--
Never mistake motion for action.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)
Sean Cleary
Sean
bookman
Denny Wheeler <den...@TANSTAAFL.zipcon.net.INVALID> wrote in message
news:ta69quoujmgscgb4v...@4ax.com...
> <drift>
> Some of the OSHA rules are a bit... ridiculous. We have to blow metal
> slugs out of our machines as part of keeping them producing good
> parts. OSHA made us put on air-nozzles with holes at the base to
> reduce the blowing pressure. "it's a safety measure" -- but the holes
> at the base tend to blow right in one's face.
Perhaps I am wrong here, but I suspect that ridiculous OSHA
rules are the result of an employer/employee doing something
a bit... stupid. Like jamming a pressure hose into a bodily orifice
and activating it...
And if you think I am being silly, may I direct you attention
to the Darwin Awards?
Regards,
--
Rusty the bookman
Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you when you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, and they're starvation cheap
- Kipling
djohnson
>Perhaps I am wrong here, but I suspect that ridiculous OSHA
>rules are the result of an employer/employee doing something
>a bit... stupid. Like jamming a pressure hose into a bodily orifice
>and activating it...
That part isn't about stupidity, although that could be a factor, and
the compressed air safety training I had in the USAF warned that "A
pressure of 2-3psi is sufficient to rupture the intestines".
(Strangely, that was one of the dangers that didn't have a cheezy
cartoon illustration...)
Most air nozzles are not pressure regulated, they are volume regulated
in a way that under normal circumstances, pressure can't build up
excessively. If the nozzle clogs or is restricted, then full line
pressure *can* build up. This could lead to a burst of full-pressure
air, or to whatever was clogging the tip shooting out with great force.
--
As we celebrate mediocraty, all the boys upstairs want to see
how much you'll pay, for what you used to get for free...
Tom Petty, "The Last DJ"
Neil
>Denny Wheeler <den...@TANSTAAFL.zipcon.net.INVALID> wrote
>> Some of the OSHA rules are a bit... ridiculous. We have to blow metal
>> slugs out of our machines as part of keeping them producing good
>> parts. OSHA made us put on air-nozzles with holes at the base to
>> reduce the blowing pressure. "it's a safety measure" -- but the holes
>> at the base tend to blow right in one's face.
>
>Perhaps I am wrong here, but I suspect that ridiculous OSHA
>rules are the result of an employer/employee doing something
>a bit... stupid. Like jamming a pressure hose into a bodily orifice
>and activating it...
>
>And if you think I am being silly, may I direct you attention
>to the Darwin Awards?
Warning: kinda disgusting story follows:
I've read a medical case study about a guy who
used a high-pressure air nozzle to clean off his
gloves (while wearing them). He punctured a hole
through glove and skin, and blew his hand up like
a balloon, separating the skin from the underlying
tissues all the way around.
I don't have the citation handy, it was many years
ago while I was researching and consulting on
carpal tunnel. I have a copy of the article, from a
surgery journal, somewhere in my old notes.
Luria
(Trying to remember when he last read the journals)
Neil
Sean wrote:
Sean, I work for a major manufacturer of industrial &
commercial ventilator fans. (Lau; our brands include
Barry Blower, Penn Ventilation, Bayley & Supreme).
I spoke with one of our customer service people today.
If you can e-mail me the brand and model number of
the fan in your workplace, we can probably identify a
quieter one to do the same job. Just in case your
employer is interested.
Luria
(Not a salesman, don't play one on TV)
Sean Cleary
> commercial ventilator fans. (Lau; our brands include
> Barry Blower, Penn Ventilation, Bayley & Supreme).
> I spoke with one of our customer service people today.
> If you can e-mail me the brand and model number of
> the fan in your workplace, we can probably identify a
> quieter one to do the same job. Just in case your
> employer is interested.
>
> Luria
> (Not a salesman, don't play one on TV)
may be a problem. This is my day off, tomorrow (sat) I go back for my
second week.
The fans are unique: they resemble truck wheels in their size and
curvature, (with the spokes removed), and the fan in the middle. So
about 2+ feet across with curved inlet and outlet.
M Blaze Miskulin
"Where are the ear plugs kept? The fans are loud, and I'd like to use
some hearing protection."
Any industrial site should have them on-hand, and they are required to
inform you where and when various safety equipment is needed, where and
when it is recommended, and what types of safety equipment are required
for each circumstance.
While they may not be required to provide it (I don't have the energy to
search through the OSHA regs right now), most companies will opt for
purchasing a supply of the foam ear-plugs to ensure that the proper ones
are being used. It's a type of insurance policy for them.
--
-----
M Blaze Miskulin
owner
Winterborne Scenic Studios