Three out of four construction workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels on the jobsite.[i] Noise levels are considered hazardous when they reach 85 decibels or higher. A NIOSH study examining hearing loss across industries found that construction workers have higher levels of hearing loss than workers in most industries.[ii] The highest rates are experienced by construction workers in nonresidential building construction, highway and bridge construction, and heavy and civil engineering. [iii] With power tools, mobile equipment, and other sources of hazardous noise present at many construction sites, workers have multiple reasons to wear hearing protection devices. Even so, one
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