Experts claim current noise rules are insufficient to protect workers' hearing

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The New York Times (7/20, Buckley, Subscription Publication) reports, "Noise levels recorded at nearly a dozen restaurants, gyms and bars in New York City reached heights that, if sustained over as little as two hours, would violate standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect workers' hearing." However, even if the workplace regulations were abided by, many audiologists claim that the existing rules "would not protect hearing enough: federal noise protection standards lag behind much of the industrialized world's." The Times notes that OSHA "requires that workers exposed to an average of 90 decibels - about as loud as truck traffic - for eight hours wear hearing protection."