In October 2010, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) published a proposed interpretation of the
phrase "feasible administrative or engineering controls" found in
29 CFR §1926.52 of the construction industry regulations. The
interpretation's purpose was to clarify the meaning of the phrase
with respect to employers' obligations under occupational noise
exposure regulations.
Recently, in an action that can only be described as unexpected,
OSHA withdrew its proposed interpretation and announced future
efforts with respect to preventing occupational hearing loss.
OSHA's construction noise regulation requires use of feasible
administrative or engineering controls to reduce worker exposures
below established levels; if such controls do not reduce noise
sufficiently, employers must provide personal protective equipment
(PPE). The issue of what is meant by "feasible" has challenged
employers attempting to comply...
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