(a) A railroad shall provide appropriate protection for its employees who are exposed to noise, as measured according to §227.103, that exceeds the limits specified in appendix A of this part.

(b) In assessing whether exposures exceed 115 dB(A), as set forth in paragraph (a) of this section and appendix A to this part, the apparent source of the noise exposures shall be observed and documented and measurement artifacts may be removed.

(c) Except as set forth in paragraph (d) of this section, exposure to continuous noise shall not exceed 115dB(A).

(d) Exposures to continuous noise greater than 115 dB(A) and equal to or less than 120 dB(A) are permissible, provided that the total daily duration does not exceed 5 seconds.