What decibel level is cited as the threshold for wearing hearing protection?

• A. 85 decibels
• B. 90 decibels
• C. 75 decibels
• D. 100 decibels

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that there’s a defined action level for noise exposure, above which you must wear hearing protection. That action level is 85 decibels. Why this matters is that, at or above 85 dB, the risk of hearing damage grows with how long you’re exposed, so protective measures are put in place to limit that risk. In practice, noise exposure is evaluated as a time-weighted average over a shift, and as the decibel level increases, the allowable unprotected exposure time decreases. The other numbers are either below the level where protection is required or simply reflect higher levels where protection is still needed; 85 decibels is the threshold used to trigger wearing hearing protection.