---
kind: "section"
citation: "49 C.F.R. § 227.117"
title: "49"
number: "227.117"
heading: "Hearing protector attenuation."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/49/227.117"
---

# §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 [§ 227.115](/cfr/49/227.115.md).
- (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 protectors provided may no longer provide adequate attenuation. A railroad shall provide more effective hearing protectors where necessary.

## 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.