---
kind: "section"
citation: "49 C.F.R. § 227.115"
title: "49"
number: "227.115"
heading: "Hearing protectors."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/49/227.115"
---

# §227.115. Hearing protectors.

- (a) **General requirements for hearing protectors.**
  - (1) The railroad shall provide hearing protectors to employees at no cost to the employee.
  - (2) The railroad shall replace hearing protectors as necessary.
  - (3) When offering hearing protectors, a railroad shall consider an employee's ability to understand and respond to voice radio communications and audible warnings.
  - (4) The railroad shall give employees the opportunity to select their hearing protectors from a variety of suitable hearing protectors. The selection shall include devices with a range of attenuation levels.
  - (5) The railroad shall provide training in the use and care of all hearing protectors provided to employees.
  - (6) The railroad shall ensure proper initial fitting and supervise the correct use of all hearing protectors.
- (b) **Availability of hearing protectors.** A railroad shall make hearing protectors available to all employees exposed to sound levels that meet or exceed the action level.
- (c) **Required use at action level.** A railroad shall require the use of hearing protectors when an employee is exposed to sound levels that meet or exceed the action level, and the employee has:
  - (1) Not yet had a baseline audiogram established pursuant to [§ 227.109](/cfr/49/227.109.md); or
  - (2) Experienced a standard threshold shift and is required to use hearing protectors under [§ 227.109(h)](/cfr/49/227.109.md?p=h).
- (d) **Required use for TWA of 90 dB(A).** The railroad shall require the use of hearing protectors when an employee is exposed to sound levels equivalent to an 8-hour TWA of 90 dB(A) or greater. The hearing protectors should be used to reduce sound levels to within those levels required by appendix A of this part.

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 20103, 20103 note, 20166, 20701-20703, 21301, 21302, 21304; 28 U.S.C. 2461 note; and 49 CFR 1.89.

### Source

Source: 71 FR 63123, Oct. 27, 2006, unless otherwise noted.