scope:

This standard specifies certain characteristics of a personal noise dosimeter. It also specifies allowable tolerances of those characteristics, and it describes how those characteristics are to be verified. It provides for three different exchange rates, two frequency weightings, and two exponential averaging time constants.

NOTE: At present, the regulatory practices of the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) specify use of dosimeters having A-weighting, 5 dB exchange rate and SLOW exponential time averaging. The U.S. Department of Defense practices specify A-weighting, 4 dB exchange rate and SLOW exponential time averaging.

Other options including C-weighting, 3 dB exchange rate and FAST exponential time averaging are included to provide instrument standards to serve the needs of research and developing regulatory practices. International Organization for Standardization Standard 1999: 1990 for occupational noise specifies only A-weighted sound exposure with 3 dB exchange rate and with no exponential time averaging.

This standard is intended to specify a dosimeter suitable for measurement of impulsive, intermittent, and continuous noise.