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For information related to general industry, see OSHA's Noise and Hearing Conservation page.

Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926)

• 1926 Subpart D, Occupational health and environmental controls
  • 1926.52, Occupational noise exposure
• 1926 Subpart E,  Personal protective and life saving equipment
  • 1926.101, Hearing protection

• For additional information on specific state plans or other general standards, see the general industry Standards page.

• Hearing Conservation Program for Construction Workers. Notice 67:53644, (2002, August 16). Corrections.
• Hearing Conservation Program for Construction Workers. Notice 67:50610-50618, (2002, August 5). OSHA is considering rulemaking to revise the construction noise standards to include a hearing conservation component for the construction industry that provides a similar level of protection to that afforded to workers in general industry.

• Hearing Conservation Program for Construction Workers

• Effective hearing conservation program elements for the Construction Industry. (1992, August 4).
• OSHA's regulations apply only to employer-employee relationship and not to employer activities that can affect the general public. (1992, May 18).
• Welding and Noise in confined space. (1992, January 6).
• The hearing conservation amendment does not cover construction or agriculture. (1983, March 29).

Note: These are NOT OSHA regulations. However, they do provide guidance from their originating organizations related to worker protection.

• A10.46-2007, Hearing Loss Prevention for Construction and Demolition Workers. Helps employers prevent occupational hearing loss among construction and demolition workers and applies to all construction and demolition workers with potential noise exposures (continuous, intermittent and impulse) of 85 decibels, A-weighted (dBA) and above. It was approved by ANSI on March 5, 2007, and by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) on March 20, 2007.

• Construction Noise: Exposure, Effects, and the Potential for Remediation; A Review and Analysis. Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health (eLCOSH), (2002). Reports that the highest percentages of overexposed workers in the construction industry occur in highway and street construction, carpentry, and concrete work. Of the approximately 5 million construction workers in 1995, the total number exposed to noise levels of 85 dBA and above was about 754,000. 
• Construction Noise. The Center to Protect Workers' Rights (CPWR), (2001), 24 KB PDF, 2 pages. Reviews information related to exposure levels and provides suggestions for protection.
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publications on Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention, Charts and Graphical Representations:
  • The average 25-year old carpenter has the ears of a 50-year old person who has not been exposed to noise. Shows that the average 25-year-old carpenter has the ears of a 50-year-old person who has not been exposed to noise.
  • Carpenter's Noise Exposures. Depicts noise levels measured from typical tools used in construction.
  • Age of Carpenter & Hearing Loss. Depicts typical hearing losses of unprotected carpenters over time.
  • Learn More About Hearing Loss Prevention: Noise Meter. Demonstrates noise levels with an interactive graphic.

• For information on measuring exposure, see the general industry Measuring Exposure page.

• For information on controls, see the general industry Controls page.

• For information on hearing conservation programs, see the general industry Hearing Conservation Programs page.

• Resources. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Includes links to campaigns, conferences and workshops as well as links to organizations involved in hearing loss prevention.
  • Noise and Hearing Loss in Construction. School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington. Includes links to a series of PDFs on hearing loss prevention in the construction industry.