Noise remains one of the leading physical risks in the workplace and a major cause of occupational hearing loss and accidents. This one-day training course is intended for occupational health and safety professionals who wish to acquire an operational understanding of noise risk assessment and management, based on the most recent reference documents. The course emphasizes a graduated approach to risk assessment, inspired in particular by recommendations from the INRS in France: from preliminary estimation using simple tools – such as the speech communication test or the exposure points method – to an in-depth evaluation consistent with the requirements of ISO 9612. Assessing noise exposure means drawing conclusions from a small number of imperfect measurements — each influenced by instrument accuracy — about a larger population of exposure levels that change over time and from one worker to another. Participants will learn to interpret these results by distinguishing between variability and measurement error. They will also develop an understanding of the meaning and limitations of noise reduction ratings, and the difference between laboratory performance and the actual field effectiveness of hearing protectors. Practical exercises will allow participants to apply these concepts and to use tools developed by the ISO and the University of Montreal to interpret workplace noise exposure data. By the end of the day, participants will be able to: • Apply a graduated approach to noise risk assessment suited to their context and objectives; • Conduct and interpret representative measurements that account for variability and uncertainty; • Use the ISO calculator developed by the INRS and the www.expostats.ca

The 35th ICOH Congress will be held in Mumbai, India with the Theme: “Occupational Health, Safety & Environment – Growth and Sustainability in Changing Times” More [...]