Recent OSHA Activity
December 2002

OSHA has issued a number of revisions to standards in the past few months. The following is a brief summary. If you would like a copy of any of these standards, log onto www.OSHA.gov or call the Lovell Safety Department.

Exit Routes

OSHA’s requirements for exiting buildings quickly during an emergency have been rewritten in a user-friendly format that is easier to understand. The revised Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, and Fire Prevention Plans Standard becomes effective on December 7, 2002.

The requirements for exit routes have been rewritten in simple, straightforward, and easy-to-understand terms. For example, Means of Egress will now be referred to as Exit Routes. The text has been reorganized, and inconsistencies and duplicative requirements have been removed. The revised rule has fewer sub-paragraphs and a smaller number of cross-references to other OSHA standards than the previous version.

Employers now have the option of adopting the National Fire Protection Association's Life Safety Code, instead of the OSHA standard for exit routes. OSHA evaluated the NFPA standard and concluded that it provides comparable safety.

The revised standard, which offers more compliance options for employers, does not change the regulatory obligations of the employer or the safety and health protections provided to the employees of the original standard.

Recording of Hearing Loss on OSHA 300 Form

Beginning Jan. 1, 2003, employers will be required to record work-related hearing loss cases when an employee's hearing test shows a marked decrease in overall hearing.

Employers can make adjustments for hearing loss caused by aging, seek the advice of a physician or licensed health care professional to determine if the loss is work-related, and perform additional hearing tests to verify the persistence of the hearing loss.

Under the new rule, the criteria will record 10-decibel shifts from the employee's initial hearing test when they also result in an overall hearing level of 25 decibels. The old criteria recorded 25-decibel shifts.

Hearing Conservation in Construction

OSHA is determining whether they should add a requirement for a hearing conservation program to its construction noise standard, similar to the requirements covering general industry workers.

Hearing conservation programs for the construction industry could include providing hearing protection and hearing tests, as well as conducting periodic noise exposure monitoring, to workers exposed to high noise levels.

"Many construction activities involve high levels of noise that can cause hearing loss and create safety hazards," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. "While these difficulties occur in other occupational environments, they are of particular concern in the construction industry, where a variety of activities often occur simultaneously."

Every year, as many as 750,000 construction workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels. Among these workers, regular hearing protection is only worn about 15 to 33 percent of the time. OSHA's current construction noise standards require employers to protect workers from hazardous noise and provide hearing protection devices to workers engaged in construction and renovation work when high noise levels are present.

If you have any questions on this or any other safety issue, please call your local area representative or the Lovell Safety Office at 212/709-8600.