When Benton County, Washington, wanted to establish a baseline of noise exposure experienced by its Sheriff’s Department employees, it asked NV5 to perform noise monitoring for Benton County Sheriff Deputies to evaluate activities such as traffic stops, domestic calls, and other types of work the deputies may encounter in the course of a normal work day.
Specifically, we set up noise monitors during shift operations, collecting them at the end of the shifts. We then completed post-monitoring checks of the dosimeters at our facility. Within one week after the monitoring, we prepared a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)-approved report that compared the collected data to Washington State Labor & Industry guidelines. We then submitted the report to Benton County Safety for review and comment.
Per Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Chapter 296-817, Safety Standards for Hearing Loss Prevention, Benton County is required to establish and maintain a hearing loss prevention program, including an audiometric testing program for all employees whose exposure equals or exceeds an 8-hour time weighted average of 85 decibels.