[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 4]
[Revised as of October 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR227.117]

[Page 393-394]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
       CHAPTER II--FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
                             TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 227_OCCUPATIONAL NOISE EXPOSURE--Table of Contents
 
 Subpart B_Occupational Noise Exposure for Railroad Operating Employees.
 
Sec.  227.117  Hearing protector attenuation.

    (a) A railroad shall evaluate hearing protector attenuation for the 
specific noise environments in which the protector will be used. The 
railroad shall use one of the evaluation methods described in appendix B 
of this part; ``Methods for Estimating the Adequacy of Hearing Protector 
Attenuation.''
    (b) Hearing protectors shall attenuate employee exposure to an 8-
hour TWA of 90 decibels or lower, as required by Sec.  227.115.
    (c) For employees who have experienced a standard threshold shift, 
hearing protectors must attenuate employee exposure to an 8-hour time-
weighted average of 85 decibels or lower.
    (d) The adequacy of hearing protector attenuation shall be re-
evaluated whenever employee noise exposures increase to the extent that 
the hearing

[[Page 394]]

protectors provided may no longer provide adequate attenuation. A 
railroad shall provide more effective hearing protectors where 
necessary.