How Forestry and Wood Production Operations Can Mitigate Hearing Loss in the Workplace

Sustained, loud noise on a worksite is a long-term hazard to workers’ hearing, and it’s long been a given that forestry operations, sawmills and wood finishing and production factories are extremely loud.

The general rule is that workers should not be exposed to noise greater than 85 decibels over an eight-hour time weighted average (TWA). As reference, a planer machine used in a sawmill produces sound of 115 decibels,¹ while heavy equipment in sawmills can reach 110 decibels and chainsaws 125 decibels.²

In wood production, sanders can reach 97 decibels and double end tenoners produce 107 decibels of sound³ — all levels that can lead to permanent hearing damage in those exposed to them for extended periods.

Nearly 22 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise in the workplace. About one-eighth of the U.S. working population has hearing issues, and a quarter of those issues stem from occupational exposures. Hearing loss can cause other health and safety concerns associated with cognitive decline and heart problems and lead to isolation that can hurt mental health.⁴

Preventing hearing loss in the workplace is more than ear plugs

Every forestry operation, sawmill and wood manufacturing operation should regularly review its policies for alignment with standards set by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). Every program should have the following components:

• Audiometric testing: Audiometry is a non-invasive method used to gauge hearing loss. A licensed or certified specialist must annually test all employees exposed to noise levels greater than 85 decibels over an eight-hour TWA. A baseline audiogram must be conducted within six months of an employee’s first exposure.

• Noise monitoring: Should noise levels exceed acceptable levels, any and all feasible engineering, administrative and work-practice controls should be used to reduce the exposure. If these measures aren’t sufficient, employers must provide personal protective equipment to affected employees.

• Documentation: Mills and factories must record everything related to the hearing conservation program, from employee exposure measurements to audiometric testing. For audiometric testing, employers are required to record affected employees’ names, job classifications, testing dates, results of audio testing and examiners’ names.
  
  Sound level meter and dosimeter calibration records are also important records to maintain. The employer should keep noise exposure measurements for at least two years, and audiometric test records for as long as the employee is with the organization.

• Train employees: Employees must be trained on the effects of noise exposure on hearing and why hearing protection is required. This includes an explanation of the necessity for annual audiometric testing. Employees should understand the specifics of different types of hearing protection, and how to select, use and care for them. Employers should make the OSHA rules on managing occupational noise exposure available to workers.

Contact a HUB forestry and wood products specialist to learn more about mitigating the risk of employee hearing loss in forestry and wood production.

¹ Applied Artificial Intelligence, “Assessment of Occupational Exposure to Noise among Sawmill Workers in the Timber Processing Factories,” accessed August 21, 2023.
² Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “Health Hazards: Noise and Hearing Loss,” accessed August 21, 2023.
³ Mecart, “Noise Control for the Woodworking Industry,” accessed August 21, 2023.
⁴ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Noise and Occupational Hearing Loss,” accessed August 21, 2023.