Hi John, have you looked at any possible way to reduce the noise below 90 dB for your average 8 hour day, so that you don't end up with a mandatory requirement?
I'm just asking, because if you look around, i bet there are a few ideas that might spring to mind.
Our shop is noisy also, but I stay on the guys about not making any more noise than is neccessary....several guys hate ear plugs, so they work with me so that I don't make it mandatory...just a thought.
Grinding on light weight materials(a c-clamp just holding the piece down makes a huge difference in the sound), and gouging are our heaviest hitters in the noise department...we have to perform these duties, no way around it, but all the hammer banging or use of pnuematic chippers can be cut down to a bare minimum and makes a huge difference in the 8 hour weighted average. Something as simple as fine tuning the wire feeder so that the slag falls off rather than having to beat it off, makes a difference. It's the little things that add up over an 8 hour day that can sneak up on you.