Middle school and high school science and technology education laboratory instructional spaces often useair compressors, centrifuges, laser cutters, power tools, fume hood motors, aquarium pumps, and other devices that can produce sustained noise levels greater than 85 dB. Noise at that level can cause sensitive hearing fatigue, communication interference, and long-term hearing loss.  Remember also thatstudents come and go in the instructional space by periods, but the teacher stays all day long! Teachers, therefore, have higher exposure to elevated noise levels and a greater risk of developing long-term hearing loss.

Appropriate safety protocols need to be addressed for managing noise exposure in laboratory instructional spaces.  These safety protocols need to be aligned with NIOSH, OSHA education guidance, and school Science and Technology Education standards. The following are professional safety practice and legal safety standards accepted as educational safety standards:

OSHA 1910.95 – Key Requirements are as follows:

The “Action Level:” 85 dB  time-weighted average (TWA.) When noise exposure reaches 85 dB averaged over eight hours, a hearing conservation program (HCP) is required. Hearing conservation programs are designed to prevent initial hearing loss, preserve remaining hearing, and equip workers with the knowledge and tools necessary to protect their hearing. 

 In addition, baseline annual audiogram must be provided. The baseline audiogram is a reference against which future audiograms are compared. Employers must provide baseline audiograms within six months of an employee's first exposure at or above an eight-hour TWA of 85 dB. Hearing protection is required and must be provided if noise reductions are not achieved by engineering controls.  Finally, annual hearing safety training is required. Remember, this is for employees and not legally required for students, although they also need appropriate noise protection.

Recommented Noise Safety Protocols for School Laboratories

Engineering Controls – The First Priority

The first priority is to address engineering controls to reduce noise at the source:

• Install rubber isolation pads under centrifuges, vacuum pumps, generators
• Ensure fume hood motors are serviced and balanced
• Use quiet-design equipment (centrifuges, air pumps)
• Keep compressors in separate mechanical rooms
• Add acoustic baffles/panels to concrete/block lab rooms
• Ensure door gaskets are intact around prep room equipment

Administrative Controls

Administrative controls should be used to reduce time of exposure to noise:

• Rotate students between lab stations
• Keep students at ≥ 2-3m from high-decibel apparatus
• Restrict noisy equipment operation to teacher-only prep rooms
• Run loud equipment before/after class if experiment allows

Hearing Protection (If Noise Exceeds 85 dB)

To remain aware of emergency sounds (like fire alarms, student distress calls, or evacuation announcements), the total noise reduction from headphones or earbuds should not exceed ~20–25 dB in practice.

Most fire alarms emit sounds at 85–100 dB, often even through walls. Student distress calls or shouting may reach 70–90 dB at close range.  If headphones reduce these by 30–40 dB, students may not hear them clearly, especially if some are listening to music.

Following is a list of age-appropriate, school-approved personal protective equipment (PPE):

• Over-ear earmuffs (preferred in labs)
• Earmuffs should have Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 22–30 dB
• Disposable or reusable ear plugs (not recommended if chemical vapors present due to insertion contamination issues)
• Use noise-isolating or automatic noise cancelling (ANC) earbuds at low volume with transparency mode enabled. Avoid high-level ANC.Consider bone conduction headphones if you need to listen to audio while keeping ears open to the environment.

Placement Protocols for Noisy Equipment

Address the location and operation of laboratory devices:

Required Laboratory Instructional Signage

Examples of required laboratory instructional space signage:

• “Hearing Protection Required When Operating Equipment”
• “Keep Clear: Noise Source Zone”
• Notify students when equipment will exceed 85 dB

Monitoring and Testing Procedures

Monitoring and testing procedures for each piece of equipment should include:

• Use a Type 2 sound level meter, or OSHA-approved meter app with calibrator
• Measure at:
  1. source
  2. 1m
  3. typical student seating

Record:

• maximum dB
• average dB
• exposure duration

Annual noise assessment recommended.

Prohibited Practices

Prohibited practices include:

• Running compressors, generators, or loud pumps in student-occupied lab spaces
• Students inserting earplugs in areas with chemical aerosols (contamination hazard)
• Using DIY noise dampening materials (carpet, fabric) that violate fire codes

Fire and Chemical Safety Tie-In

With regards to fire and chemical safety:

• Acoustic panels must be Class A fire-rated (NFPA 286, ASTM E84)
• No foam egg-crate packing materials (not code-compliant)
• Annual training needs to include the following:
  noise assessment
• PPE fitting
• hearing-loss symptoms
• equipment maintenance schedules
  • use quieter equipment
  • increase distance
  • isolate device in prep room or booth
  • reduce runtime during student occupancy
  • if still ≥ 90 dB → hearing protection

Teacher Training Expectations

Teacher training expectations need to be addressed:

• Annual training needs to include the following:
  noise assessment
• PPE fitting
• hearing-loss symptoms
• equipment maintenance schedules

Summary

No student or teacher should be exposed to noise above 85 dB in a school science or technology engineering laboratory instructional space. The first thing that needs to be done when suspecting unacceptable noise levels in science and/or technology engineering laboratory instructional spaces is to test suspected noise sources with a Type 2 sound meter at student ear height. If readings are greater than 85 dB, the following actions need to be taken:

• use quieter equipment
• increase distance
• isolate device in prep room or booth
• reduce runtime during student occupancy
• if still ≥ 90 dB → hearing protection

Submit questions regarding health and safety issues in science/STEM instructional spaces to Ken Roy at safersci@gmail.com. Follow Ken Roy on X: @drroysafersci.

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