49 CFR § 227.117 - Hearing protector attenuation.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t49/s227.117"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "49 CFR § 227.117 - Hearing protector attenuation."
title_number: 49
title_name: "Transportation"
section_number: "227.117"
section_name: "Hearing protector attenuation."
chapter_name: "FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION"
part_number: "227"
part_name: "OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH IN THE LOCOMOTIVE CAB"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "49 U.S.C. 20103, 20103 note, 20166, 20701-20703, 21301, 21302, 21304; 28 U.S.C. 2461 note; and 49 CFR 1.89."
regulatory_source: "71 FR 63123, Oct. 27, 2006, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "227"
---


# 227.117 Hearing protector attenuation.

(a) A railroad shall evaluate hearing protector attenuation for the specific noise environments in which the protector will be used. The railroad shall use one of the evaluation methods described in appendix B of this part; “Methods for Estimating the Adequacy of Hearing Protector Attenuation.”

(b) Hearing protectors shall attenuate employee exposure to an 8-hour TWA of 90 decibels or lower, as required by § 227.115.

(c) For employees who have experienced a standard threshold shift, hearing protectors must attenuate employee exposure to an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels or lower.

(d) The adequacy of hearing protector attenuation shall be re-evaluated whenever employee noise exposures increase to the extent that the hearing protectors provided may no longer provide adequate attenuation. A railroad shall provide more effective hearing protectors where necessary.