Block 4 Flashcards
What program was designed to protect workers from the harmful effects of hazardous noise?
The USAF Hearing Conservation Program (HCP)
Who evaluates work areas for sources of hazardous noise as well as determines hazardous noise areas and makes recommendations to control exposures?
You do silly! Get with the program yo!
What is the Air Force Regulation that governs the Occupational Noise and Hearing Conservation Program?
AFI 48-127
What is the OSHA regulation that governs the Occupational Noise Program?
29 CFR 1910.95
Who is the manager of the Occupational Health Program?
The Aerospace Medicine Squadron/Air Reserve Component (ARC) Medical Unit Commander
Hearing conservation issues are considered through what entity?
The OEHWG of course!
Who performs fitness and risk evaluations by conducting job safety analysis? They also identify newly added noise hazard work tasks or areas noted during period safety inspections to BE?
Wing and/or Base Ground Safety
Who is responsible for:
Protecting the hearing of assigned personnel?
Ensure their workplace complies with OSHA, DOD, and the AF HCP
Properly labels hazardous noise areas
Notifies BE if controls change
Uses engineering controls as primary means of eliminating exposure
Ensures the HPDs are provided
Conducts initial and annual workplace specific hearing conservation training
Notifies each employee that is exposed to greater than 85 dBA the results of the BE noise survey
And notifies each worker of the hazard noise sources?
Squadron Commanders and Workplace Supervisors
Who performs audiometric hearing testing?
Public Health
Who complies with all hazardous noise control measures including the proper use of HPDs?
Employees
Who is responsible for approving hearing protection devices?
You and all your other wanna-BEs!
What is unwanted sound?
Noise
Who prevents workers compensation claims?
BE
What is any pressure variation in air, water, or some other medium that the human ear can detect?
Sound
What is a longitudinal wave that is created by vibrating objects that spreads through a medium from one location to another?
Sound
What do you call it when air molecules are drawn away from the surrounding air to create an area of lower atmospheric pressure?
Rarefaction
A repetitive wave-like motion is known as a _______________?
Sound Wave
Who is the coolest TSgt in the USAF as of 31JUL16?
TSgt Walker!!!!! RECOGNIZE!
What is the speed of sound?
Velocity
The higher the temperature is, the faster the ___________________.
Velocity
Velocity increases as a material’s density____________________
Increases
True/False
Sound always travels faster in water and solids than it does in the air?
True
That’s Trudeau
True/False
The speed(velocity) of a sound wave is always equal to the product of the wavelength and frequency.
Velocity=wavelength X frequency
True dat
What is the distance from one point of a sound wave to the same point on the next wave? It is the distance that a sound wave travels in one cycle.
WAVELENGTH
Is how often that a sound wave will repeat in a second. It is measured in cycles per second, AKA HERTZ (Hz). This is perceived as pitch.
Frequency
Most people can hear sound in what range of frequencies?
20-20,000 Hz
Any sound that is under 500 Hz is called_________________?
Low Frequency
Any frequency above 500 Hz is called_______________________?
High Frequency
What do you call a sound wave that can be characterized by one single frequency?
Pure Tone
I bet you didn’t know that! j/k you’re a genius! Keep pushing!
People normally hear a wide variety of different tones and amplitudes mixed together so that no single one is recognizable. What do you call this?
Complex Sound
What is a range (or band) of frequencies extending from one frequency extending to exactly double that frequency? In other words, the upper frequency is twice the lower frequency. This is considered the center frequency that BE examines.
Octave Band
Velocity (c)= feet per second (ft/sec)
Wavelength = feet per cycle
Frequency (f)= cycles per second (cops) or hertz (Hz)
Units of Sound FACT
You’re welcome
Also called “acoustical power”, is the total amount of sound that a source produces. The sound produced by a source is independent of other influences and NEVER CHANGES, no matter what the surroundings!
Sound Power
Sound power is measured in what units?
(W) Watts
What do you call it when we convert the sound power in watts to decibels?
Power Level
This is how large a portion naturally depends on how close that receiver is to the source and is messed in (W/m^2), the amount of power per unit area?
Sound Intensity
True/False
Sound becomes diluted with distance.
True
This is what BE deals with the most. It is the characteristic of sound that is actually measured and reported when QUANTIFYING sound. It is directly related to sound power.
Sound Pressure
Instruments measure sound pressure in what units?
Newtons per square meter (N/M^2)
_______________________ is what noise measurement instruments display in decibels (dB).
Sound Pressure Level
What is the unit of measurement of sound level called? This describes sound pressure level at a specified distance.
Decibel
What rule of thumb has you adding 3 dB as you double you double your sound?
Doubling the Sound
Look, it’s in the book and can’t be worded much better. You got a problem with it, you do it next time!!!!!!!
Love,
TSgt Walker
What do you call the rule of thumb that has you subtracting 6 dB as you double the distance from the sound?
Doubling the Distance
This tells the “true” decibel level because it does not filter or weight the noise.
FLAT RESPONSE (dB FLAT)
This handsome, intelligent, and incredible NCO is about tired of making note cards every freaking day!!!!!!
TSgt Walker
Standards for noise exposure are expressed in ___________________. BE measures sound with weighting when assessing hazardous noise. This weighting discriminates heavily against the lower frequencies. This weighting is not sensitive to lower frequencies as it is to the higher ones.
A-weighting (dBA)
This weighting is similar to a flat response. Represents the relative response to human hearing to high sound levels. Is most importantly used to find out if sound levels are too intense in the higher or lower frequencies without having to perform and octave band analysis.
C-Weighing dB(C)
This weighting is seen on instruments, but is not normally used. Describes overall levels when weighting is used.
B-Weighting
The speed (velocity) of a sound is always equal to the product of the _______________________ and the ____________________.
Wavelength ; Frequency
Know figure 13: Anatomy of the Ear on page 19
They went over this too many times not to know the anatomy of the ear. It WILL be on the test I bet!
These are the effects of excessive noise exposure on the ear including noise-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and acoustic trauma.
Auditory Effects
The result of damage to the hair cells and accompanying degeneration of the nerve fibers in the ear due to noise.
Hearing Loss
The condition in which people perceive they hear sounds such as ringing, roaring, whistling, etc. in one or both ears when there is no actual sound around them.
Tinnitus
The temporary or permanent hearing loss due to a sudden, extremely high intensity noise, such as an explosion.
Acoustic Trauma
When high noise levels can cause undesirable effects on the body other than hearing effects. Whole body effects with general symptoms to stress. Can increase fatigue, nervousness, irritability, hypertension, and overall stress levels.
Non-Auditory Effecfts
- Increased lost time from accidents
- Decreased productivity
- Interference with efficiency
- interruption of thought processes during complex tasks
- interference in getting ideas across and the ability to understand instructions/warnings.
Effects on Job Performance (from noise)
Effects of excessive noise exposure on the ear include what three conditions?
Hearing Loss
Tinnitus
Acoustic Trauma
________________________________ is exposure to steady-state noise having an 8-hour TWA noise level greater than or equal to 85 dBA, or exposure to impulse/impact noise levels greater than 140dB peak SPL, regardless of duration.
Potential Hazardous Noise
_______________________ is any AREA where personnel could be exposed to steady-state noise having an 8-hour TWA noise level greater than or equal to 85 dBA, or exposure to impulse/impact noise levels greater than 140dB peak SPL, regardless of duration.
Potentially Hazardous Noise Area
The level of noise that interferes with human activities varies with the type of activity and attitudes of the people involved. There is also considerable annoyance when it interferes with activities such as listening to television or radio , concentrating on schoolwork or reading or sleeping.
Community Noise
The sound level allowed for an 8hr exposure, used as the basis of measurement of a noise standard.
Criterion Level
The trade-off relationship between an increase (or decrease) in sound level and the corresponding change in allowed exposure duration; when the sound level increases by the decibel value of the exchange rate, the allowed duration is halved.
Exchange Rate (Doubling Rate)
How many decibels does the Air Force use for Exchange Rate (Doubling Rate)?
3-dB
For each doubling of the allowed exposure time, the allowed noise level decreases by 3 dB.
________________________ or limits are determined based on sound level and duration of exposure; in other words how many decibels for how long.
Noise Exposure Limits
Limiting Values for Unprotected Noise Exxposures:
85 dBA for 480 minutes (8 hrs)
94 dBA for 60 min (1Hr)
99 dBA for 19 minutes
Greater than 115 dBA= no unprotected exposure for any length of time
FACT
No octave or one-third octave band level may exceed ________ dB for frequencies from 1Hz-40kHz AN
145 dB
The overall sound pressure level must be below ______________ dB (unweighted)
150
Consider ________________________ for pregnant workers who are exposed to hazardous noise after 20 weeks.
Job Rotation
After how many months pregnant can a women experience fetal dose and experience hearing loss of an unborn baby if exposed to either TWA 115 dBC or a peak exposure of 155 dBC?
After a woman is 5 months pregnant.
Office environments should not exceed _________________dBA. This would cause an unsatisfactory environment for telephone use.
65 dBA
A workspace should not exceed __________________dBA because it would make communication very difficult; including telephone use.
90 dBA
Customers should not listen to loud music that exceeds 94 dB for_______________________ hours, once per week.
2 Hours
As it pertains to Community Noise, the EPA recommends that the max dBA should be at 55dBA, but the DOD uses _____________dBA for community noise.
65
The first stage in evaluating the noise problems in a shop involves identifying all noise-producing equipment by using a ___________________________.
Inventory
Who is able to determine which shops have personnel with standard threshold limits?
Public Health
There are three nontechnical guidelines to determine if the work area has potentially excessive noise levels. What are they?
- If you have to yell to talk to a co-worker due to the noise.
- If employees say they hear ringing noises in their ears at the end of the workday.
- If workers complain about not being able to hear well after work, but they hear well in the morning.
At what dBA do conversations become difficult to have?
70 dBA
Equipment used to conduct noise surveys must conform to __________________ standard and BE shall conduct noise surveys.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
This survey is used to classify whether a particular noise source output exceeds the criterion level of 85 dBA and could present a potential exposure hazard to workers.
Noise Source Survey
Survey where the potential to exceed the limits exists. Shall be evaluated by direct measurements with noise dosimeters, or indirectly with noise exposure calculations.
Worker Exposure Survey
These surveys are used to define work areas where noise exposures are assumed hazardous based on routine operations. These surveys can be used to define a work area enclosed by clear borders as a hazardous noise area or to identify a hazardous noise zone around a certain piece of equipment. Area where the safe line is to the away from that certain noise source.
Hazardous Noise Area Survey
Noise travels in what two paths?
Direct and Reflected Paths
In this path sound is transmitted directly to the ear from the source of the receiver.
Direct
In this path, sound rebounds from surfaces
Reflected Path
Controlling noise at the ______________ is often the most reliable and permanent solution and should always be considered first.
Source
An engineering control that that includes process elimination, process changes, and/or design changes.
Process Substitution
This has to do with the Air Force requiring that new equipment that is being considered for purchase must have the lowest sound emission levels that are technologically and economically feasible.
Product Substitution
This aims to reduce equipment vibration and thus accompanying noise. Simple maintenance that is al that is needed most of the time.
Machine Treatments
Reducing speeds and parts, balancing, and aligning, lubricating to help reduce noise.
Reduce the driving force
using casings or removing the casings or the walls that a machine hits when it is running that makes it make more noise
Isolate the Responding Surface
Using dampening materials like rubber or elastic compounds that absorb noise.
Reduce surface response
A solid piece of material placed between the worker and the noise source. It deflects the flow of energy away from the worker.
Shields and Barriers
These are barriers that are wrapped around a machine. They may leave one side open or be put inside one of these. These provide much more sound reduction but cause heat buildup that may cause damage to the machine.
Enclosures
Reflected noise can be prevented by the use of acoustically absorbent materials that are applied directly to the wall or ceiling surface.
Room Treatments
Job rotation, changes in production schedule, time limitation decreases, purchasing quiet machinery, preventive maintenance, training, and labeling
Administrative controls as applied to path and receiver
A hazardous noise area with any exposure at or above 85 dBA shall be clearly identified by signs located at the ENTRANCES to or the BORDERS of, the area. At a minimum, signs will contain the following message:
Caution
Hazardous Noise Area
Hearing Protection Required
What is the AFI for noise regulation
AFI 48-127
When is the only time each machine will not have to be individually labeled as a hazardous noise?
When an entire AREA is designated as a hazardous noise area
You can engineer at the source and admin the path and area.
Fact
What are BE’s roles in the Thermal Stress Program?
PMED’D
Perform Initial Survey, Measure WBGT, Establish Local Procedure, Determine FITS, Determine Wind Chill
What are the Unit Commander Responsibilities as it pertains to the Thermal Stress Program?
- Manages work and rest schedules
- Trains in signs, symptoms,and prevention
- Provides appropriate fluid replacement in hot and cold environments
- Commands what MOP gear is to be worn during any CBRN event
- Decides acclimation times
- Ensures resources are available to undertake an appropriate risk assessment.
What are the Workplace Supervisor’s roles in the Thermal Stress Program?
- compliance with occ safety, fire prev, and health program req.
- Provide training for employees in job safety, fire protection and prevention, and health as required by occ health.
- ensures employees receive proper training
- ensures workers are aware of work/rest schedules and fluid intake requirements
What are the worker’s obligations in the Thermal Stress Program?
- Comply with Occupational Safety and Health Guidance
- know hydration and work/rest cycles
- regulate thermal storage and fluid intake during increased ops tempo
- follow work/rest programs and increase food intake to replenish nutrients
The total net load when you have to add the combined contributions of metabolic heat, environment factors, and PPE.
Heat Stress
The overall physiological response from heat stress. Your body’s response are dedicated to dissipating excess heat from the body.
Heat Strain
Refers to environmental and/or personnel conditions that tend to remove heat and DECREASE BODY TEMPERATURE.
Cold Stress
TEST QUESTION: Who approves the removal of MOPP GEAR?
The Unit Commander
Thermal exchange takes place with the body through these 4 mechanisms:
Radiation
Convection
Conduction
Evaporation
Heat that is produced by the billions of cells in the body
Metabolism
When your body is heated by electromagnetic heat waves. A heat source is heating a colder body.
Radiation
Being heated up by a transfer of fluid or air. This is an exchange rate between the skin and the surrounding air.
Convection
When TWO SOLID BODIES are in CONTACT. When a warmer body transfers heat to a colder body. This is also when heat loss can occur when touching a colder object.
Example: sitting on cold metal bleachers during a football game and losing body heat.
Conduction
This causes the removal of heat from an object by the vapor action of a liquid. Heat leaves the body when sweat, water, or other liquid vaporizes from the body surface.
Evaporation
True/False
Heat exchange from the skin to the environment is influenced by AIR, TEMP, HUMIDITY, WIND SPEED, SOLAR, SKY, and GROUND RADIATION
TRUE
Strength Declines
Fatigue
Loss of Accuracy
Increase in accidents from sweaty palms, dizziness, fogging of glasses.
irritability, anger, that leads to overlooking safety during hazardous tasks
Heat Stress on Workers (Worker Impact)
Climatic Conditions
High Work Demands
PPE
What do these three terms relate to?
Workplace Risk Factors
When the temperature of the body starts to exceed 98.6 F, the body tries to regulate heat by doing this_________________________________________.
By varying the rate of blood circulation through the skin and the release of fluid onto the skin by the sweat glands.
Sweating DOES NOT cool down the body unless the moisture is removed from the skin by _______________________?
Evaporation
Name the risk factors/heat related disorders:
Dehydration PPE Salt Depletion Lack of Acclimation Failure to observe work-rest cycles Poor Physical Condition Drugs that inhibit sweat
According to AFPAM 48-151, Thermal Injury (Heat Illness) can lead to incapacitation. What are the warning signs of Heat Illness?
- dizziness or confusion
- nausea or vomiting
- staggering
- disturbed vision
- confusion, collapse, or loss of consciousness
What is the most serious heat-related disorder and is considered a medical emergency?
Heat Stroke
This is a milder form of heat-related illness. It is caused by excessive exposure to heat and the DEPLETION OF BODY FLUIDS.
Heat Exhaustion
FAINTING is the result of exposure to high temps. Pooling of blood in the legs and skin from prolonged static posture along with heat exposure. Can be associated with exercising in the heat.
Heat Syncope
Muscle pains or spasms that may occur during or following strenuous physical activity. This is attributed to the electrolyte imbalance caused by sweating without adequate fluid or salt intake.
Heat Cramps
Also known as prickly heat, a common problem in hot work environments. Small bumps on skin where clothes are restrictive accompanied with itching. Caused by prolonged, uninterrupted sweating and inadequate hygiene.
Heat Rash
This can cause your body the inability to cool off by reducing the ability to sweat. This degrades performance and increases the risk for heat casualties. Altitude and reflective surface such as fresh ice, snow, sand, metal, concrete, and wind increase the risk and severity.
Sunburn
Reduction is sensation that may affect motor skills
Discomfort distraction
Limitation of movement due to bulky protective clothing layers
Injuries from contacting metal components
Degraded mental performance and inability to think
Accidents
Unsafe Behaviors
Cold Stress
How does your body react to cold stress?
It reduces blood flow through the skin so that the skin becomes and insulating layer. The reduction in blood flow to the skin increases cold injuries to the fingers, toes, ears and nose.
Poor Conditioning, dehydration, low body fat, inadequate nutrition, inactivity, alcohol, and caffeine are risk factors that lead to ___________________________________.
Cold Related Disorders
Cold Stress can lead to these 6 cold-stress disorders:
Hypothermia, Frostbite, frost nip, trench foot, chilblain and Raynaud’s disorder.
This is a serious health condition that develops as the rate of heat loss exceeds heat production. The core temperature gets below 95*F.
Hypothermia
Occurs when skin tissue freezes usually in the extremities.
Frostbite
Marked by numbness and whiteness of the skin with possible itching or pain. This is a reversible cold injury that does not cause tissue loss.
Frost nip
Injuries to the feet as is caused by tissues exposed to cold wet conditions for prolonged periods of time.
Trench Foot
A superficial cold injury occurring after one to five hours in cold, wet conditions below 50*F. Most common in fingers, ears, cheeks, toes, and exposed shins.
Chilblain
A disorder affecting the arteries. Narrowing of the blood vessels. Reduces blood flow to the extremities.
Raynaud’s Disorder
Reducing physical work demands, reducing external heat gain, from the air and hot surfaces, and enhancing external heat loss by increasing sweat evaporation and decreasing air temperature.
Engineering Controls for Thermal Stress
This brings in a supply of cooler air from another area and reduces the temperature in the work area by diluting the hot air with cooler air. General area ventilation.
Dilution Ventilation
Mechanical refrigeration, evaporative cooling, or a water chiller is used to reduce the temperature of supplied air for dilution ventilation.
Active Cooling
Can be used to control radiant heat from a specific source and can be localized. An insulated or reflective barrier between the source and the receiver can interrupt the pathway.
Shielding
Change the way work is performed in order to limit exposures or risks. Changing process and procedures.
Administrative Controls
This process is characterized by a series of physiological adjustments that occur when an individual is exposed to a hot climate.
Acclimatization
Methods to reduce the metabolic rate can go a long way towards reducing heat stress. The rate is reduced when the same amount of work is performed over a longer period of time. Spend time in cooler areas to cool off.
Work Pace
Distributing the work among other workers.
Work Sharing
A way supervisors may reduce the contribution of environmental heat to heat stress. When supervisors change certain jobs to cooler parts of the day.
Work Scheduling
When water must be replaced to prevent adverse effects from heat.
Fluid Replacement
Training that is essential for heat stress management and should be conducted for both employees and supervisors. Training includes: Description of Heat Stress, physiological responses, first aid measures, heat stress hygiene, overview of heat stress, NBC training and heat stress involved.
Awareness Training
Provides protection for individual workers. Is primarily in the form of personal cooling, but can include reflective clothing for high-radiant heat conditions.
PPE
When personal cooling method consists of circulating air under the clothing and around the torso.
Circulating Air Systems
A second type of personal cooling is a system that circulates cool water through the tubes and channels around the body.
Circulating Water Systems
Designed to reduce the amount of heat reaching the individual and is best suited for sources of high radiant heat. It could actually increase the level of heat stress of the worker.
Reflective Clothing
Hand Warmers, Minimizing air movement (shielding), reducing conductive heat transfer (no metal chairs of uninsulated tools), & providing temporary shelter
Engineering Controls for Cold Stress
Providing for work/warm cycles-resting in warm areas, scheduling work to warmest times, moving work to warmer areas, assigning more workers, etc…
Admin Controls for Cold Conditions
Insulated Clothing, Gortex, Rain Gear, Gloves, Mittens
PPE
The purpose of this program is to ensure that all confined spaces on an installation are adequately identified, analyzed, and classified to protect the the health of all workers entering these spaces.
The PURPOSE of the Confined Space Program
What is the OSHA regulation that covers the Confined Spaces program?
29 CFR 1910.146
This is the source(reference) that is used to conduct a Confined Space Program on an Air Force base.
AFI 91-203
This reference gives way more detailed information on evaluating respiratory protection, emergency response, and PPE requirements when dealing with confined spaces.
ANSI Z117.1
- Large enough to be entered
- Limited or restricted means for entry/exit
- Not designed for continuous employee occupancy
Confined Space
An atmosphere with less than 19.5% oxygen
Oxygen-deficient Atmosphere
An oxygen level ABOVE 23.5%
Oxygen-enriched Atmosphere
The lowest concentration of a gas or vapor that ,use be present to support combustion in the presence of an ignition source.
Lower Exposure Limit (LEL)
The HIGHEST concentration of a gas or vapor that will support combustion
Upper Explosion Limit (UEL)
A condition that poses an immediate or delayed threat to life that would cause immediate or delayed adverse health effects, or that would interfere with a workers ability to escape unaided from a permit-required space.
IDLH
A written document, renewed ANUALLY, that authorizes entry supervisors to issue entry permits. Must be signed by Ground Safety (SEG), Civil Engineering Flight (CEF), and Bioenvironmental Engineering Flight.
Master Entry Plan (MEG)
Who are the five groups of personnel that are affected by confined space?
Functional Managers, Entry Supervisors, Confined Space Entrants, Attendants, and Emergency Personnel.
The senior operating official at all levels exercising managerial control of an activity or operation involving confined spaces.
Functional Manager
Verifies that all tests/measurements required by the permit have been made, verifies that all the equipment listed on the permit are in-place, verifies that rescue services are available, determines that conditions for entry are met, ensures workers are properly trained, ensures entry permits are consistent with the MEP
Entry Supervisor
Must fully understand all procedures, safeguards, and emergency egress instructions and/or rescue procedures associated with entry. They should understand the results presented by meter displays and be able to interpret the meaning of alarm signals.
Confined Space Entrants
Monitor the activities both inside and outside the confined space.
Attendants
These team members rescue victims in confined space. Must have initial training and retraining every 12 months.
Emergency Personnel
Enrolls all personnel who may enter confined spaces in the installation.
Ensures the BE reps on the CSPT are trained in confined space requirements.
Provide local training on the use, calibration, and care of atmosphere testing and monitoring equipment.
*and everything else relating to confined space stuff
BE
Responsible for the implementation of the confined space program. Leads the installation CSPT.
SAFETY (SEG)
Provides rescue support for all confined space entries. Confined spaces are evaluated by CEF for flammable, explosive, or oxygen-enriched atmospheres when permitting entries that are not covered by a MEP.
Civil Engineering Fire Department
Is an active member of the CSPT. They work closely with SEG and CEF to fulfill the CSPT taskings.
BE
Supply air and exhaust
Engineering Controls for confined space
Signs and Training
Admin controls for confined space
What 5 PPE items do you wear in confined spaces?
Harness, Hard Hat, Boots, Safety Glasses, Resp Protection
