LIMITING NOISE EXPOSURE: DAMAGE-RISK CRITERIA
How long and how loud can we listen to sound without risking hearing damage?
Damage‑risk criteria provide the basis for recommending noise exposure limits based on
noise level and exposure time. OSHA and NIOSH criteria are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Duration (in hours) of allowable exposures based on OSHA and NIOSH criteria.
PEL = Permissible Exposure Limit; REL = Recommended Exposure Limit. Noise exposure
levels/times exceeding those shown in Figure 1 require the use of hearing protection.
OSHA permits exposures of 85 dBA for 16 hours per day, and uses a 5‑dB time‑intensity
tradeoff: for every 5 dB increase in noise level, the allowable exposure time is reduced by
half. For every 5 dB decrease in noise level, the allowable exposure time is doubled. All
time/intensity values shown on the OSHA PEL line in Figure 1 are assumed to have equal
risk to each other, that is, 16 hours at 85 dB carries the same auditory risk as 8 hours at
90 dB, 4 hours at 95 dB, 2 hours at 100 dB, and so on.4
NIOSH recommends an exposure limit of 85 dBA for 8 hours per day, and uses a 3 dB
time‑intensity tradeoff: for every 3 dB increase in noise level, the allowable exposure time
is reduced by half. For every 3 dB decrease in noise level, the allowable exposure time is
doubled. The time/intensity values shown on the NIOSH REL line in Figure 1 are assumed
to have equal risk to each other, that is, 8 hours at 85 dB carries the same auditory risk as
4 hours at 88 dB, 2 hours at 91 dB, and so on.
The differences in OSHA criteria and NIOSH recommendations for exposure limits
produce different outcomes: the more lenient OSHA values allow for higher exposures for
longer durations and the more conservative NIOSH values recommend lower exposures
for shorter durations.
The NIOSH values are based on scientific studies relating noise
exposure to hearing loss, and are more protective of hearing. It should be noted that
both standards are based on the assumption that the noise occurs as part of a work
environment, and both assume non‑occupational quiet. That is, the limits are based on
an 8‑hour workday, five days per week over a 40‑year working lifetime, and the time the
individual is not at work (the other 16 hours in a day, as well as weekends) is assumed
to be quiet. The standards do not account for noisy activities and hobbies (e.g., concerts,
ATVs, snowmobiles, power tools, car races, live music, etc.) which may increase risk
for NIHL.