Chapter 14, Problem 101GP

BIO Predict/Calculate OSHA Noise Standards OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has established standards for workplace exposure to noise. According to OSHA’s Hearing Conservation Standard, the permissible noise exposure per day is 95.0 dB for 4 hours or 105 dB for 1 hour. Assuming the eardrum is 9.5 mm in diameter, find the energy absorbed by the eardrum (a) with 95.0 dB for 4 hours and (b) with 105 dB for 1 hour. (c) Is OSHA’s safety standard simply a measure of the amount of energy absorbed by the ear? Explain.