https://www.ontario.ca/document/guide-noise-regulation-under-occupational-health-and-safety-act/regulation#:~:text=The%20regulation%20requires%20that%20every,an%208-hour%20work%20day.
What workplaces are covered by the Noise Regulation (O. Reg. 381/15)?
The Noise Regulation applies to all workplaces covered under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
Regulatory requirements - overview
Employer’s duty to protect workers from hazardous sound levels
Employers have a duty to take all measures reasonably necessary in the circumstances to protect workers from exposure to hazardous sound levels.
The regulation requires that every employer shall ensure that no worker is exposed to a sound level greater than a time-weighted average exposure limit of 85 dBA (decibels measured on the A-weighting network of a sound-level meter) measured over an 8-hour work day.
Employers must comply with this limit following the “hierarchy of controls”, which emphasizes the use of engineering controls and work practices to protect workers and places restrictions on the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) by workers.
When the prescribed exposure limit would be exceeded, employers are required to put in place protective measures to proactively reduce workers’ noise exposure. These measures include:
engineering controls to reduce noise at the source or along the path of transmission
work practices such as equipment maintenance (to keep it quieter) or scheduling to limit a worker’s exposure time
personal protective equipment in the form of HPDs, subject to the restrictions stated in the Regulation
Signs
Where it is practicable to do so, employers must post a clearly visible warning sign at every approach to an area in the workplace where the sound level regularly exceeds 85 dBA.
Worker training
Employers who provide workers with HPDs must provide them with adequate training and instruction on their care and use.
The training and instruction must address:
limitations of the device(s)
proper fit
inspection and maintenance, and, if applicable
cleaning and disinfection
Selection, care and use of hearing protection devices
The Regulation requires HPDs to be selected with regard to the:
sound levels to which a worker is exposed
attenuation or reduction in sound level provided by the HPD
manufacturer’s information about its use and limitations
The Regulation also requires HPDs to be used and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
The following sections provide guidance on the provisions of the Regulation with quotes.
General duty clause
“Every employer shall take all measures reasonably necessary in the circumstances to protect workers from exposure to hazardous sound levels.”
An Ontario employer, who is covered by the OHSA, has a legal obligation and a general duty to take all measures reasonably necessary in the circumstances to protect workers from exposure to all hazardous sound levels.
Noise exposure limits
“…every employer shall ensure that no worker is exposed to a sound level greater than an equivalent sound exposure level of 85 dBA, Lex, 8”.
This requirement is intended to protect workers from exposure to sound levels above the occupational exposure limit of 85dBA averaged over an 8 hour work shift, referred to as 85 dBA Lex, 8.
What limits apply?
The only applicable exposure limit is the 85 dBA, Lex, 8.
A worker's exposure to noise levels generally varies throughout the day. An exposure limit of 85 dBA Lex, 8 may be thought of as the time-weighted average (TWA) exposure limit for noise for an 8 hour shift.
This is similar in concept to the TWA exposure limit for a biological or chemical agent in the Regulation respecting the Control of Exposure to Biological or Chemical Agents (Regulation 833).