Noise Computation Examples

Use with Chapter 296-817 WAC, Hearing Loss Prevention (Noise)

Resources
This helpful tool gives you examples of noise computations that should assist you
with your own computations. Also found in this helpful tool are examples of employer
actions based on the specific noise computation results. You’ll need to do your own
noise computations and determine the specific actions needed based on the noise
exposures in your workplace.

EXAMPLE 1
Assume an employee is exposed to 92 dBA for eight hours. Compute the employee’s
noise exposure, the time-weighted average and what action, if any, would be required
of the employer.

Exposure:
The exposure time is 8 hours. The reference duration for 92 dBA is 6 hours.

Time-weighted Average (TWA):

In Table HT-2, find the values for 130% and 135%. The difference in the time-
weighted average values (92.2 - 91.6) equals 0.6. Since 133% is 3/5 of the way
between 130 and 135, 133% equals 3/5 (0.6) + 91.6 = 92 dBA.
Employer Action:
Since the employee’s exposure is above the 90 dBA TWA8, the employer would
be required to institute a full hearing loss prevention program, including:
• Controlling noise as feasible,
• Providing hearing protection and training for employees,
AND
• Instituting an audiometric testing program.

-Continued-

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Use with Chapter 296-817 WAC, Hearing Loss Prevention (Noise)
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EXAMPLE 2
Assume a continuous noise exposure for an employee of 90 dBA and a work shift of
8 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. with a 15-minute morning and afternoon break and a 30-minute
lunch. Both breaks and lunch are in an area with less than 70 dBA exposure. (Although
this exposure could be integrated into the employee’s total noise exposure, it is not
significant and will not be considered in these calculations.) Calculate the worker’s
exposure, TWA, and the employer’s responsibility.
Exposure:
Actual exposure (subtracting the lunch time and work breaks from the
employee’s work shift) indicates a 90 dBA exposure for 7-½ hours. D = 100
(C1/T1) = 100 (7.5/8) = 94 (94%)

Time-weighted Average (TWA):

From Table HT-2 a noise exposure of 94% converts to an equivalent 8-hour
time-weighted average of 89.6 dBA.
Employer Action:
Since the employee’s time-weighted average is between 85 and 90 dBA
TWA8, a hearing loss prevention program must be developed and maintained
for the employee including hearing protection, training and audiometric
testing. Engineering and/or administrative controls are not required, but may
be beneficial, since the hearing loss prevention program would no longer be
required if the employee’s exposure were reduced below 85 dBA TWA8.

-Continued-

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Use with Chapter 296-817 WAC, Hearing Loss Prevention (Noise)

Resources
EXAMPLE 3
Assume a technician works in a noise enclosure booth with a noise exposure of less
than 70 dBA. The technician makes rounds to read gauges and instruments that are
located in an area with a noise level of 105 dBA. The technician makes four trips a day,
and each trip lasts 30 minutes. Calculate the employee’s noise exposure, TWA and
employer’s responsibility.
Exposure:
With four trips a day and 30 minutes per trip, the employee is basically
exposed to two hours of noise at 105 dBA with the remaining time spent inside
the booth. From Table HT-1 of the rule the reference duration for exposure at
105 dBA is 1 hour.

Time-weighted Average:
The employee’s TWA from Table HT- 2 is 95 dBA.
Employer Action:
Since the employee’s exposure is above the 90 dBA TWA8, the employer
would be required to institute a full hearing loss prevention program, including
controlling noise as feasible, providing hearing protection and training for
employees, and instituting an audiometric testing program.

-Continued-

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Use with Chapter 296-817 WAC, Hearing Loss Prevention (Noise)
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EXAMPLE 4
Assume a timber trimsaw operator with a background noise level inside the operator’s
booth of 85 Dba, cuts one timber every 10 seconds with a noise exposure during the
cut of 105 Dba for three seconds. The employee works from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and
has a 15-minute break in the morning and the afternoon and a 30-minute lunch break,
all of which are below 70 Dba. Calculate the employee’s noise exposure and TWA.
Exposure:
First sound level - 105 dBA
The employee is exposed to this sound level for three seconds out of every ten
or 30% of the time. Thus the time of exposure (C1) at this level is 0.3×9.5 or
2.85 hours. From Table HT- 1, the reference duration (T1) is one hour.
Second sound level - 85 dBA
The employee is exposed to this sound level for seven seconds out of every
ten or 70% of the time. Thus the time of exposure (C2) at this level is 0.7×9.5 or
6.65 hours. From Table HT-1, the reference duration (T2) is sixteen hours.

Time-weighted Average (TWA):

From the conversion table we find a noise dose of 327% lies between 320 and
330 with values of 98.4 dBA and 98.6 dBA respectively.
320% = 98.4 dBA
330% = 98.6 dBA
327% = (7/10)*(0.2) + 98.4 = 98.5

-Continued-

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Use with Chapter 296-817 WAC, Hearing Loss Prevention (Noise)

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EXAMPLE 5
Assume a security guard works an eight-hour shift and makes eight rounds a night. In
making a round of the facility the guard will spend 20 minutes in Building A, 30 minutes
in Building B and 10 minutes in the yard. In Building A the noise levels are less than
70 dBA. Noise level in the yard is 85 dBA. In Building B there is a cyclic machine
operation where the noise levels are:
- 100 dBA for 3 seconds (30%)
- 95 dBA for 3 seconds (30%), and
- 90 dBA for 4 seconds (40%)
Calculating the employee’s noise exposure and time-weighted average (TWA):
Since the employee’s noise exposure in Building A is less than 70 dBA,
this exposure is not significant and will not enter into the computation (the
theoretical dose would be less than 2%). In Building B we find three noise
exposures, 100, 95, and 90 dBA respectively. The yard also has an exposure
(85 dBA), which will enter into the total computation.
Calculating the partial exposures at each noise level we find:
At 100 dBA

At 95 dBA

At 90 dBA

The yard at 85 dBA

-Continued-

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Use with Chapter 296-817 WAC, Hearing Loss Prevention (Noise)
Resources

EXAMPLE 5 (continued)
The employee’s total noise exposure can be calculated from the noise exposure
formula using the following values.
Location Sound Level Time of Exposure Reference Duration
Building B 100 dBA C1 = 1.2 hours T1 = 2 hours
Building B 95 dBA C2 = 1.2 hours T2 = 4 hours
Building B 90 dBA C3 = 1.6 hours T3 = 8 hours
Yard 85 dBA C4 = 1.33 hours T4 = 16 hours

The employee’s total noise exposure (D) is computed as follows:

-Continued-

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Table HT-1
Reference Durations, in Hours, for given Noise Levels

Reference Reference
Noise Level, L Noise Level, L
Duration, T Duration, T
80 32.0 106 0.87
81 27.9 107 0.76
82 24.3 108 0.66
83 21.1 109 0.57
84 18.4 110 0.50
85 16.0 111 0.44
86 13.9 112 0.38
87 12.1 113 0.33
88 10.6 114 0.29
89 9.2 115 0.25
90 8.0 116 0.22
91 7.0 117 0.19
92 6.1 118 0.16
93 5.3 119 0.14
94 4.6 120 0.13
95 4.0 121 0.11
96 3.5 122 0.095
97 3.0 123 0.082
98 2.6 124 0.072
99 2.3 125 0.063
100 2.0 126 0.054
101 1.7 127 0.047
102 1.5 128 0.041
103 1.3 129 0.036
104 1.1 130 0.031
105 1.0 131 0.027

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Use with Chapter 296-817 WAC, Hearing Loss Prevention (Noise)
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Table HT-2
Dose to Equivalent TWA8 for Given Dose

Dose TWA8 Dose TWA8 Dose TWA8

10 <=70 350 99.0 670 103.7
20 78.4 360 99.2 680 103.8
30 81.3 370 99.4 690 103.9
40 83.4 380 99.6 700 104.0
50 85.0 390 99.8 710 104.1
60 86.3 400 100.0 720 104.2
70 87.4 410 100.2 730 104.3
80 88.4 420 100.4 740 104.4
90 89.2 430 100.5 750 104.5
100 90.0 440 100.7 760 104.6
110 90.7 450 100.8 770 104.7
120 91.3 460 101.0 780 104.8
130 91.9 470 101.2 790 104.9
140 92.4 480 101.3 800 105.0
150 92.9 490 101.5 810 105.1
160 93.4 500 101.6 820 105.2
170 93.8 510 101.8 830 105.3
180 94.2 520 101.9 840 105.4
190 94.6 530 102.0 850 105.4
200 95.0 540 102.2 860 105.5
210 95.4 550 102.3 870 105.6
220 95.7 560 102.4 880 105.7
230 96.0 570 102.6 890 105.8
240 96.3 580 102.7 900 105.8
250 96.6 590 102.8 910 105.9
260 96.9 600 102.9 920 106.0
270 97.2 610 103.0 930 106.1
280 97.4 620 103.2 940 106.2
290 97.7 630 103.3 950 106.2
300 97.9 640 103.4 960 106.3
310 98.2 650 103.5 970 106.4
320 98.4 660 103.6 980 106.5
330 98.6 670 103.7 990 106.5
340 98.8 680 103.8 1000 106.6

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SUMMARY
As you can see, the more variable the noise sources or exposure times, the more
involved the computations become. Noise dosimeters overcome this problem by
electronically accumulating and integrating the noise signals into the employee’s noise
dose. Having one person observe several noise dosimeters can save additional time.
However, a simultaneous survey using a sound level meter must be conducted to
support the dosimeter results.

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