Michael A. Crivaro
U. S. Dept. of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration, P. O. Box 18233, Cochrans Mill Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15236
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has the responsibility of protecting the hearing of the nation's miners. Within MSHA, the Office of Technical Support has determined a method of assuring that the noise dosimeters and acoustical calibrators used to conduct noise surveys provide an accurate representation of the miners's noise exposure. The method is comprised of three components. First, the dosimeters and calibrators are evaluated based on recognized standards. Second, each calibrator and dosimeter is calibrated annually in a laboratory using instrumentation with accuracies traceable to the National Institute of Science and Technology. Finally, mine inspectors who conduct the noise surveys are trained on using their instruments correctly including performing a field calibration both before and after the noise exposure measurement.