The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is supporting the "Quiet Communities Act of 2001" (H.R. 1116) for its efforts to reestablish and reauthorize funding for EPA''s Office of Noise Abatement and Control.
A letter from the association to Rep. Nita M. Lowey, R-N.Y., recognizes the primary emphasis of H.R. 1116, which is airport, community and environmental noise issues.
However, AIHA''s support focuses on the opportunity to chance existing procedures for evaluating hearing protection devices.
AIHA President Steven P. Levine, Ph.D., CIH, who wrote the letter, voiced his concerns that the current procedures "and resultant noise reduction rating (NRR) values, are of little use in determining the actual protection afforded to noise-exposed workers wearing hearing protection in the field."
Levine further noted, "Without an Office of Noise Abatement and Control there will be no federal resources allocated to this important issue."
Lastly, AIHA expressed in the letter that, along with other concerned professional organizations, it seeks a revision through H.R. 1116 of the existing hearing protection evaluation regulation because, according to AIHA, it "calls for a test by a standard that is inaccurate and provides meaningless and misleading data to industry and consumers on package labels."
by Virginia Sutcliffe
About the Author
EHS Today Staff
EHS Today's editorial staff includes:
Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.
Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.
Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.