Project Overview
Full shift noise monitoring for food service staff in a hospital kitchen and dishwashing area, including the impact noise a basic compliance check would have missed.
4
employees monitored with personal dosimeters for a full 8 hour shift.
0
Cal/OSHA 8 hour action level or PEL exceedences
2
primary noise sources pinpointed and mapped
141 dB
peak impact noise captured at a dishwashing station.
The Challenge
A hospital food service team prepares meals in a kitchen and delivers them directly to patient rooms. Next door, a wire wash area runs a commercial dishwasher to clean and sanitize trays, utensils and dishware for reuse all day long.
The client wanted to know whether staff on the tray line and in dishwashing were exposed to noise above Cal/OSHA limits and what controls were needed. Nobody in these areas was wearing hearing protection.
Where This Fits
- Hospital & Healthcare Food Service
- Commercial Kitchens and Restaurants
- School, University and Corporate Cafeterias
- Hotels, Banquet Halls and Event Venues
- Laundry and Sterile Processing Departments
What We Did
An A-Tech industrial hygiene technician completed the fieldwork in a single day under the supervision of a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH).
- Personal Dosimetry: placed four calibrated Type II noise dosimeters in the hearing zone of employees at cold prep and ware wash stations for the full work day.
- Noise Mapping: took morning and afternoon sound level meter readings at each source, using A and C weighting at slow and fast response, to build a noise map of both areas.
- Area Monitoring: Collected area measurements at hearing zone height throughout the shift.
- Site Review: evaluated existing engineering controls and PPE use.
- Regulatory Comparison: evaluated results against Cal/OSHA Title 8 §5095 and §5096, with ACGIH TLVs as a stricter secondary guideline.
- Reporting: Delivered a CIH signed report with results, conclusions and practical recommendations.
The Result
Every employee stayed well under the Cal/OSHA 8 hour action level of 85 dBA, so no mandatory hearing conservation program was triggered. A pass/fail check would have stopped there.
The full data set showed more. One dishwashing position exceeded the stricter ACGIH guideline, a second came close, and a 141 dB peak traced back to dishware striking hard surfaces during washing and sorting. A-Tech gave the client a short list of practical, low cost fixes:
- Preventive maintenance on the exhaust vent, dishwasher and other kitchen equipment to cut rattles and squeaks.
- Rotating staff between louder and quieter tasks where operations allow.
- Training on handling dishware to reduce dropping, tossing and forceful stacking.
- Rubberized or resilient surfaces on sorting tables, landing areas, dish racks and cart contact points.
- Interim hearing protection, training and audiometric testing until controls are in place.
- Follow up monitoring to confirm the controls work.
The client now has a documented baseline, a noise map of both areas, and a clear plan to protect its food service staff.
