Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[esther-l AT mailsnare.net]

I work as a contractor in a test lab at an unnamed big company in RTP.

The noise from the 6 server machines that are 6-8 feet away from me has 
finally started getting to me.  The fan noises make it difficult to 
understand speech, but are probably far less than 85 dB in volume. The big 
company has a policy of creating a Hearing Conservation Plan when the noise 
level is above a number around 85 dB (I think this is an OSHA or NIOSH reg). 
The actual rackmount areas are NOT where people sit, and are louder than this.

Does anyone know of a local company that rents sound level meters? Or have 1 
that I could borrow?  I would like to find out what level of noise I'm 
hearing every day. It would be nice to have a sanity-check on the noise 
level. I am hopeful that if I provide some numbers of 'sound is this level 
all of the time' and 'people raise their voices to this level to talk' that 
my NEXT request for some remediation might get an actual response.

I _am_ trying some hearing protection at work. I hope my co-workers will be 
afraid that I'm about to start up a leafblower, because I'm wearing that type 
of earmuff :-)

thanks,
Esther, anonymous contractor in RTP