important:

Hearing protection provides a barrier to noise and protects employees but is not considered a control of the noise hazard. Separate requirements apply to hearing protection and are found in WAC 296-307-63215.

You must:

• Reduce employee noise exposure, using feasible controls, wherever exposure equals or exceeds 90 dBA TWA8.

Note:	• Once noise exposures are brought below 90 dBA TWA8, no further reduction is required. However, further reduction of noise may reduce the need for other hearing loss prevention requirements
	• Controls that eliminate noise at the source or establish a permanent barrier to noise are typically more reliable. For example:
	– Replacing noisy equipment with quiet equipment
	– Using silencers and mufflers
	– Installing enclosures
	– Damping noisy equipment and parts.
	• Other controls and work practices may also be useful for reducing noise exposures. Examples include:
	– Employee rotation
	– Limiting use of noisy equipment
	– Rescheduling work.

PDFWAC 296-307-63210

Control employee noise exposures that equal or exceed 90 dBA TWA8.