Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
E
nsEmblE
s
ElECtion
f
ACtors
•.
Speciic.chemical.hazards
•.
Physical.environment
•.
Duration.of.exposure
•.
Protective.clothing.or.equipment.available
C
lAssifiCAtion
of
P
rotECtivE
C
lotHing
Personal.protective.clothing.includes.the.following:
•.
Fully.encapsulating.suits
•.
Nonencapsulating.suits
•.
Gloves,.boots,.and.hoods
•.
Fireighters'.protective.clothing
•.
Proximity,.or.approach.clothing
•.
Blast.or.fragmentation.suits
•.
Radiation-protective.suits
Be. aware. that. different. materials. will. protect. against. different. chemicals. and.
physical. hazards.. When. chemical. or. physical. hazards. are. present,. check. with. the.
clothing.manufacturer.to.make.sure.that.the.material.selected.will.provide.protection.
against.the.speciic.chemical.or.physical.hazards.in.the.workplace.for.which.they.are.
procured.(see.Table 24.4).
heArIng ProtectIon
Determining.the.need.to.provide.hearing.protection.can.be.tricky..Employees'.expo-
sure.to.excessive.noise.depends.upon.a.number.of.factors:
•. How.loud.is.the.noise,.as.measured.in.decibels.(dB)?
•. What.is.the.duration.of.each.employee's.exposure.to.the.noise?
•.
Do.employees.move.between.separate.work.areas.with.different.noise.levels?
•.
Is.noise.generated.from.one.source.or.multiple.sources?
Usually,. the. louder. the. noise,. the. shorter. the. exposure. time. before. employers.
must.provide.hearing.protection..For.instance,.employees.may.be.exposed.to.a.noise.
level.of.90.dBA.for.8.hours.per.day.before.hearing.protection.is.required.for.them..
Suppose,. however,. that. the. noise. level. reaches. 115. dBA. in. the. workplace.. Then.
the. employer. must. provide. hearing. protection. if. employees'. anticipated. exposure.
exceeds.15.minutes.
Noises. are. considered. continuous. if. the. interval. between. occurrences. of. the.
maximum. noise. level. is. 1. second. or. less.. Noises. not. meeting. this. deinition. are.
considered. impact. or. impulse. noises.. Exposure. to. impact. or. impulse. noises. (loud.
momentary.explosions.of.sound).must.not.exceed.140.dBA..Examples.of.impact.or.
impulse. noises. may. include. the. noise. from. a. powder-actuated. nail. gun,. the. noise.
from.a.punch.press,.or.the.noise.from.drop.hammers.
