A Noise Prevention Programme - Term Paper Example

Table of Contents Introduction 2 Essential Features of Hearing Conservation Programme 2 Controlling Employee Work Schedule 3 Maintaining an Acceptable Programme 3 Keeping the Records 4 Conducting the HCP Programmes 4 Training and Education 4 Roles of the Company Employer 4 Responsibility of Management 5 Roles of HCP Administrator 6 Role of Noise Monitor and Controller 6 Relevant Legislation and Standard 7 Conclusion 8 References 10 Introduction ‘Hearing Conservation Programme’ (HCP) is a noise prevention programme, which is mainly developed or designed to prevent the noise induced hearing loss. The HCP has been attempting to prevent initial occupational hearing loss of people. The HCP is also helpful to reserve the enduring hearing power of the workers by initiating the same in the workplace to safeguard workers. HCP creates protection awareness regarding the hearing loss, which will be helpful for the workers for a better healthy life. It can be determined that a successful hearing HCP needs at least two to three different types of elements, which will be helpful to reduce the risk factor of the hearing loss. The Noise Induce Hearing Loss (NIHL) is termed as a sickness, which occurs due to high volume of noise in the working place, especially manufacturing unit. HCP presents guidelines, which will be helpful in assisting the employer as well the plant engineers to maintain the noise density in the workplace (Stanford University, 2006). The objective of the study is to prepare guidelines, which will be helpful in creating awareness regarding the workplace heath maintenance and its benefits for the health and security of the workers. The objective of the HCP is to diminish the risk of the various health disorders, which is related with the work place noise exposure and will be helpful to prevent the Noise Induce Deafness (NID). Essential Features of Hearing Conservation Programme HCP is one of the most important functions, which is helpful in maintaining the health prosperity of the employee as well as employers. There are some basic and essential features of HCP that supports in maintaining the healthy environment within the workplace. Those essential features of the programme includes, recognizing the noise threat and assess the risk, which is related with NID. Moreover, HCP provides appropriate hearing protectors, which ensures the proper use of the hearing protector by the individuals who are always exposed to the excessive noise. HCP is most important for controlling the hearing loss of the employees as it provides a safeguarding measure to minimise the risk of hearing loss due to excessive noise. Also, it is most essential because the hearing loss can reduce the normal quality of an individual life. In this context, for the better life of individuals HCP similarly offers the health screening benefits for employees (Steenkamp, n.d.). It is evident from the fact that benefits of the employers are to provide good facilities to employees to ensure increase in productivity of the organization. HCP is of significance as it provides all over workers’ health policy towards the employees for long term sustainability. The other features of the HCP are as elaborated hereunder: Controlling Employee Work Schedule The controls in the working schedule of employees who are always exposed towards excessive noise are important by the employers. In this regard, employer needs to adjust the limits of the noise exposure for safeguarding the health of the workers. Moreover, for controlling the noise exposure administrative interference is also an important consideration. Maintaining an Acceptable Programme In various plants and several types of manufacturing equipments are used, which creates excessive sounds. These irritating sounds can be control by regular maintenance of those equipments. The replacement of the old equipment can be helpful in controlling the noise to a certain extent. The employer should understand the importance of maintaining equipments on regular basis as neglecting such aspect can be harmful for the employees and as well as for the employers. Keeping the Records HCP team has maintains the records of all the precautionary equipments, which is provided to all the employees to keep them safe from the noise hazard as much as possible. These records are helpful for the employers for maintaining the safety procedures of the company in alignment with the health of the workers. Conducting the HCP Programmes HCP team should conduct an ‘annual audiometric examination’, which proves to be much supportive for establishing the efficiency of HCP for avoiding threat with reference with NID. Training and Education HCP prepares a team of educated personal who will raise various training, which are helpful in raising awareness related to noise deafness. The training by through HCP will be helpful in avoiding the noise hazard and NID. This trained people in the HCP team will be able to determine the effectiveness of the programme and will have the capacity to identify the sections of improvement (Grainger, Inc, 2014). Roles of the Company Employer To establish a peaceful and healthy working environment the company should think about the health of its employees. To protect the employees from the NID and various noise hazards related health disorder the company should establish HCP team. The team will comprise of some personals whose job is to focus upon the employees’ health and safety related aspect. HCP team includes safety and health personnel, a noise monitoring officer who evaluates the effectiveness of noise. A noise control officer controls the noise as per the standard method for the safety of workers. An occupational hygiene officer looks after the hygiene factors of the company. In addition, an industrial hygienist and an industrial nurse will monitor the hygiene factors of the factory. HCP team should include a Designated Workplace Doctor (DWD) who will provide an accurate medical service to all the employees at the time of requirement (SASOHN, 2014). Responsibility of Management The first and foremost responsibility of the top level management is to confirm that the noise control policy is implemented for protecting employees, who get exposed in excessive noise. Management should pay more attention to the proper noise controlling policy to increase the effectiveness of organisation. The management should also take into consideration the facts associated with the noise control policy in order to confirm that policy has been maintained properly or no in the organization. The responsibility of the management is to confirm about the appointed members of HCP or the noise control programme. Furthermore, management should allot proper resources for the noise control plan, which will be practicable in the organization on a regular basis. It is mandatory for the company management authority to review the noise control plan at least once in three years for making HCP program most effective in the organization. The most important function of the management is to check out the noise emission level of the new machinery during the selection and installation. It is important for the management to consider machine with less noise emission during initial purchase and installation for safeguarding the health of people. After the installation of the machine the management should evaluate the regular maintenance level of the equipments and its condition for the good service and peaceful environment in the work place. Roles of HCP Administrator The authority should hire a program administrator who will control the authority of HCP. The administrator has to be an individual who have adequate interest in the company’s hearing conservation programme. The administrator should have quality and good communication skill, which will be effective in the communication process with the workers and employees for discussing the noise problems and its related solutions. The HCP administrator should have knowledge on individual basics of HCP and effects of noise in hearing. The administrator will coordinate the HCP and will monitor the progress of the programme activity. The HCP administrator will assess the performance and evaluate its effectiveness on the health of the workers and their performance. The administrator will look after the outcomes of HCP and identify the area of improvement. The administrator will review HCP on a regular basis and confirm that the objective of the HCP should be met. The program administrator should conduct numerous meeting related to noise control program, which will encourage the collaboration between team members and higher authority (Stanford University, 2006; Steenkamp, n.d.). Role of Noise Monitor and Controller The noise monitor and controller are liable to identify possible sources of the noise. The noise controller will also monitor the definite machinery, which creates noise and control the noise by applying most effective methods of the noise control. The noise controller will involve the machine operators as well as the production personnel at the time of choosing the noise control process. The noise controller will develop the noise control plan with the advice of the engineering of noise control authority. The HCP administrator assists the management team of the company at the time of implementation of the noise control plan and calculates the effectiveness of the noise control plan (Penton, 2014). Relevant Legislation and Standard There are various standards and the legislation contained in the HCP. The ‘Occupational Safety and Health Administration’ (OSHA) had declared some standard and legislation regarding the noise control program. Those standards include, the Engineering Controls, Monitoring, Testing, Hearing protectors, Training and Record Keeping (United States Department of Labour, 2002). Engineering Controls are the most preferable method for protecting the noise exposure. The noise control engineering mainly controls the noise at it source and reduces transmission of the noise throughout the workplace. This is referred as the specialised field of engineering and it has also been appreciated by the OSHA. Monitors refer to the observation of the effect of the sound exposure on individuals. The noise measurement generally refers to the testing part of the OSHA standard. The audiometric testing program is introduced by the Occupational Health Provider for the safety of the workers. The Audiometric Database Analysis is more effective technique for accessing the hearing conservation effort. The employees who work in a noisy place should wear the ear phone or the head phones to avoid the excessive sound. The employees who are working in a noisy place should wear the hearing protector. The hearing protector is to be provided to all the employees, who are working in the atmosphere where the sound level crosses the level of 85 dBA, 8 hours TWA as per the standard of the OSHA. The employees are free to choose suitable earphones as per the individual preferences. Employees are provided with proper direction and fittings of the correct hear phones by the administrator. The hearing protector is efficient to control the noise level as per the standard of the 85 dBA, 8 hours TWA. The annual training is much essential for those employees who are working at the level of 85 dBA, 8 hours TWA. Thus as per the standard, it is advisable to provide training for the quality care and make them aware about the purpose of the audiometric (Berry, 2013; WSHCOUNCI, n.d.). Conclusion The Study on the HCP has proved to be very effective for the working employees. HCP is mainly designed for those employees who are working in a noisy environment throughout their daily schedule. The study also describes about the advantages of the programme and the disadvantages of the noise pollution and noise hazard on the workers and organisation. Various prevention policies, which is operative for the protection of the NID is reflected upon. The study stated that the various sickness, which occurs due to noise pollution. The noise induces deafness and causes of excessive exposure due to sound. It can be stated that the big companies, plants can take HCP measure in their manufacturing field for controlling the noise levels. The study has also elaborates about the various noise prevention methods to protect the people from the deafness, which includes the use of earphones. The sound prevention methods will create a peaceful working atmosphere, which will make stay the workers more healthy. The study also describes about the maintenance policy of the plant machinery equipments, which will be prove to be an effective way of controlling the noise and increase the productivity. The study also describes about some standard policy, which will be considered as an active mode of identifying the source of the sound and controlling the risk factor of the noise hazard. After the evaluation of the study, it can be stated that the Hearing Control Programme is most effective programme for the controlling the risk factors of the NID and noise hazard to safeguard the employee welfare along with productivity. References Berry, C., 2013. A Guide to Developing and Maintaining an Effective Hearing Conservation Program. Occupational Safety and Health Division, pp. 1-51. Penton, 2014. A Sound Check for Hearing Conservation. Article. [Online] Available at: http://ehstoday.com/ppe/hearing-protection/ehs_imp_33399 [Accessed October 27, 2014]. SASOHN, 2014. Annex 1: Overview of hearing conservation annexes. Article. [Online] Available at: http://www.sasohn.org.za/images/overview_of_hearing_conservation_annexes.pdf [Accessed October 27, 2014]. Stanford University, 2006. Hearing Conservation Program. Article. [Online] Available at: https://web.stanford.edu/dept/EHS/prod/mainrencon/occhealth/hearing_conservation_program.pdf [Accessed October 27, 2014]. Steenkamp. R.J., No Date. A Personal Approach to Hearing Conservation: The Key to Effective Second Level Noise control. Department of Business Management, pp.1-21. WSHCOUNCIL, No Date. Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines. Hearing Conservation Programme, Pp.1-58. Grainger, Inc, 2014. Effective Hearing Conservation Program Elements. Article. [Online] Available at: http://www.grainger.com/content/qt-effective-hearing-conservation-prgm-260 [Accessed October 27, 2014]. United States Department of Labour, 2002. Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Article. [Online] Available at: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3074/osha3074.html [Accessed October 27, 2014]. Read More