Assignment:
You will be given two different questions concerning the material covered in this unit. Each question should be answered using a minimum of 250 words each. Any resources, including your textbook, that are utilized to answer the questions should be cited and referenced using APA formatting. Please enter your response to each question in the spaces given below (spaces will expand as you type if more room is needed). All references will be entered at the end of the assignment.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) currently has a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for noise of 90 dBA as an eight-hour time weighted average (TWA) exposure with an action level of 50% of that exposure. OSHA uses a 5 dB exchange rate (doubling rate); this means that if the exposure increases from 90 dBA to 95 dBA, the allowed exposure time decreases to one-half-from 8 hours to 4 hours.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recommend using an exposure limit of 85 dBA instead of 90 dBA and also recommend using a 3 dB exchange rate. These levels are much more protective than the levels currently used by OSHA.
Discuss the merits of each of the two methods. Provide your opinion as to which of the approaches you believe should be used. Support your answer with at least one professional/scholarly reference.