What is the best way to protect an employee working at a noisy machine?

• A. Provide hearing protection alone
• B. Increase exposure time to adapt
• C. Reduce or eliminate noise from the machine
• D. Rotate workers without other controls

Answer: (C)

The best way to protect someone working at a noisy machine is to reduce or eliminate the noise at the source. This directly lowers the sound exposure that reaches every worker, making protection reliable and consistent. It follows the hierarchy of controls, where eliminating or engineering out the hazard is preferred over relying on personal protective equipment or work practices. If you can enclose the machine, add silencers or vibration-damping, perform maintenance to prevent excessive noise, or choose quieter equipment, the exposure level drops at the source and fewer additional measures are needed.

If removing the noise at the source isn’t possible, other controls can help but are less protective. Hearing protection alone doesn’t reduce the noise and depends on correct use and fit; increasing exposure time to adapt is unsafe and doesn’t prevent damage; rotating workers without implementing other controls shifts exposure without reducing the actual dose.