Exposure and Area Noise Assessment of Stone, Sand, and Gravel Mining Facilities

Hearing conservation programs (HCPs) are required at mine sites where noise levels exceed the 85 dB(A) Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) action level as an 8-hour time-weighted average. However, the success of implementing these programs varies widely, and little is known about barriers to full effectiveness. In this context, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is conducting research to increase the effectiveness of targeted hearing conservation program elements at surface stone, sand and gravel mining operations. As part of this project, an initial noise study at a collaborating surface SSG mine was conducted. The objective of this study was to help identify areas of high noise exposure in the following areas of interest: 1) automatic bagging, 2) manual bagging, 3) rotary drying, 4) palletizing, and 5) screening. To this end, noise levels were measured using a sound level meter on different grids at the areas of interest and contour maps were developed. This paper provides a background of the noise exposure status at SSG mines, discusses the importance of increasing the effectiveness of hearing conservation programs and summarizes the results of this noise study in the form of contour maps for the various areas of interest.