| Course | MPH 540 Environmental and Occupational Health Management (MPH/540) |
|---|---|
| Week | 5 |
| Paper type | Hierarchy of controls paper |
| Length | about 1,256 words, 5 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | MPH |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for MPH 540 Week 5
Quieter Furnaces Before Better Earplugs: Applying the Hierarchy of Controls to Noise and Heat in a Steel Mill Melt Shop
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
MPH/540: Environmental and Occupational Health Management
Week 5 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The mill, its melt shop, controls, costs and results are composites written for a model paper; research findings and agency guidance come from the sources cited.
After the hazard assessment ranked noise and heat as the melt shop's top hazards, the mill's safety manager proposed a quick fix: switch to a more comfortable brand of earplugs and hold a training session. The proposal was cheap and could start next week. The county's environmental health office and the university occupational health team suggested a different starting point, the hierarchy of controls. This paper applies the hierarchy to noise and heat in the melt shop.
The Hierarchy of Controls
The hierarchy ranks ways to control workplace hazards by general effectiveness: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment. NIOSH explains that the top three levels work better because they control exposure without depending on workers' behavior, while administrative controls and protective equipment can reduce exposure but rely on consistent human action (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH], 2024).
Why Not Start With Earplugs
Evidence on hearing protectors is sobering. A study of audiograms from 19,911 workers compared hearing shifts over five years by reported use of protection; workers who never wore protection had only modestly higher odds of a shift than those who always did, an odds ratio of 1.23 for the OSHA standard threshold shift that was not statistically significant, and the authors questioned relying on protectors instead of noise control (Groenewold et al., 2014). Earplugs in a drawer, or worn loosely, protect no one.
What Reviews Show
A Cochrane review of interventions to prevent occupational hearing loss found moderate-quality evidence that training in proper earplug insertion reduces noise exposure in the short term and very low-quality evidence that better use of protectors within hearing loss prevention programs reduces risk; controlled field studies of engineering controls had not been conducted, which the authors noted does not mean they lack effect (Tikka et al., 2017). The gap in evidence reflects how hard such studies are to do, not weakness of the approach.
Noise: Elimination and Substitution
Eliminating the electric arc furnace is not possible, since it is the mill's core process. Substitution offers partial options: newer furnace control systems that stabilize the arc can reduce the loudest noise peaks, and quieter fans and motors can replace older equipment when due for replacement. The mill will also adopt a buy-quiet policy, requiring noise ratings for any new motor, compressor or fan and choosing the quieter model when costs are similar. Over a decade, routine replacement under such a policy lowers background noise without a single large project.
Noise: Engineering Controls
Engineering controls offer the largest gains. The plan includes an enclosure around each furnace roof and electrode area, an enclosed and acoustically insulated control pulpit from which operators can run the furnace remotely and sound-absorbing panels on walls near crane paths. Crane cabs will be sealed and insulated. The acoustic consultant estimated that operators working from the enclosed pulpit would see eight-hour averages drop from about 100 decibels to below 85.
Noise: Administrative Controls
Until engineering work is complete, administrative controls will limit time in the loudest areas through task rotation, keep nonessential workers out of the furnace floor during melting and schedule relining and maintenance when furnaces are off. Signs will mark areas where protection is required. Administrative controls depend on supervisors enforcing them during busy shifts, which is why the plan treats them as temporary support for engineering work rather than a permanent answer.
Noise: Protective Equipment, Done Properly
Hearing protection remains the last layer. Every worker will receive individual fit testing, choice among several earplug and earmuff types and electronic communication headsets that allow radio calls without removing protection, which addresses the main reason workers took plugs out. Training will teach proper insertion, supported by the review's evidence.
Hearing Conservation
The mill's hearing conservation program will add annual audiograms for contract crews, follow-up within 30 days for any worker with a threshold shift and a review of each shift to identify where protection failed.
Heat: The Guidance
Federal criteria for heat recommend a combination of engineering controls, work practices, acclimatization, training and medical monitoring, and they describe gradual acclimatization schedules for new and returning workers (Jacklitsch et al., 2016).
Heat: Engineering Controls
Radiant heat from furnaces and ladles is the main source. Controls include reflective shields between the tapping platform and the ladle, spot cooling fans and cooled air directed at fixed work stations, insulated control pulpits and an air-conditioned break room steps from the furnace floor rather than across the building.
Heat: Administrative Controls
The heat plan sets work and rest schedules based on wet bulb globe temperature readings, brings cool water to the tapping platform and assigns a supervisor on each shift to watch for symptoms. New workers and those returning from more than a week away will follow a gradual acclimatization schedule, starting with a fraction of full heat exposure and increasing daily over the first week.
Heat: Protective Equipment
Cooling vests will be provided for relining crews and tapping work, where other controls cannot fully reduce heat. Vests add weight and need to be recharged in a freezer or cold room between uses, so the mill will test several types with crews before buying and keep enough sets for rotation during a full shift.
Sequencing the Work
Not every control can start at once. In the first three months, the mill will relocate the break room, add water stations, begin fit testing and issue headsets, since these are fast and inexpensive. Heat shields and spot cooling follow before the next summer. The control pulpit and furnace enclosures, which need design work and a planned outage, come in the second year. Sequencing lets quick protections cover workers while larger engineering changes are built.
Contract Crews
Contract workers face the highest exposures and the least coverage. The mill will require contractors to meet the same noise, heat and fit-testing standards as mill employees, include contract crews in heat acclimatization and audiometric testing and verify compliance before crews start work.
Worker Involvement
A joint committee of operators, crane drivers, contract crew leaders and managers will choose among protection options, test headsets and review the heat plan. Workers identified the break room location as the single most useful change. Operators also pointed out that the first headsets tested were too hot under hard hats, which led the committee to choose a lighter model. Changes chosen with workers are more likely to be used.
Costs
The furnace enclosures and control pulpit are the largest costs, planned over two years. Heat shields, fans and the break room relocation are moderate. Fit testing and headsets are modest. Against these costs, the team weighed workers' compensation claims for hearing loss, heat illness treatment and lost production during heat events.
Evaluation
The team will measure noise with dosimetry before and after each engineering change, track threshold shifts on annual audiograms, record heat stress readings and heat illness cases each summer and survey workers on protection use and comfort. Success means eight-hour noise averages below 85 decibels for most workers, fewer threshold shifts over five years and no heat illness requiring medical care.
Conclusion
The safety manager's earplug proposal would have left the loudest source untouched and relied on workers wearing protection perfectly in heat. The hierarchy of controls points first to furnace enclosures, remote pulpits, shields and cooled rest areas, with administrative controls and fitted protection as supporting layers. Evidence on the limits of hearing protectors and federal heat criteria support this order.
References
Groenewold, M. R., Masterson, E. A., Themann, C. L., & Davis, R. R. (2014). Do hearing protectors protect hearing? American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 57(9), 1001-1010. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22323
Jacklitsch, B., Williams, W. J., Musolin, K., Coca, A., Kim, J.-H., & Turner, N. (2016). NIOSH criteria for a recommended standard: Occupational exposure to heat and hot environments (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 2016-106). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2016106
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (2024, April 10). Hierarchy of controls. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hierarchy-of-controls/about/index.html
Tikka, C., Verbeek, J. H., Kateman, E., Morata, T. C., Dreschler, W. A., & Ferrite, S. (2017). Interventions to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017(7), Article CD006396. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006396.pub4
What the MPH 540 Week 5 instructions ask
The fifth MPH 540 assignment usually centers on prevention using the hierarchy of controls. Prompts may ask students to select one or more workplace hazards, explain each level of the hierarchy, propose controls at the highest feasible level, justify why lower levels are needed where higher ones fall short, estimate costs and describe how workers will be involved and results measured. Some versions ask for a written program or policy. Match the format your course requests. Strong papers try elimination and engineering controls first, explain honestly why a control is or is not feasible, treat protective equipment as the last layer rather than the plan and include training, monitoring and evaluation.
How this MPH 540 Week 5 example is built
The safety manager's first instinct, a new brand of earplugs, opens the paper and shows why the hierarchy matters. The five levels of control are explained using NIOSH guidance. For noise, elimination and substitution are considered, then engineering controls such as furnace enclosures, remote control pulpits and quieter fans; administrative controls such as rotation; and fitted hearing protection. Evidence on how poorly hearing protectors work in practice supports putting engineering first. For heat, shielding, ventilation and cooled rooms come first, with a heat acclimatization schedule, water, rest and cooling garments. Costs, contract crews, worker involvement and an evaluation plan close the paper, with success defined in decibels, audiogram results and heat illness cases rather than in training hours delivered.
MPH 540 Week 5 grading rubric: where the points go
The controls week is typically assessed on correct use of the hierarchy, feasible and specific recommendations and a plan to check that controls work. Graders look for each level explained, controls proposed from the top down, honest reasoning about feasibility, evidence that supports chosen controls, attention to all exposed workers including contractors, costs and a monitoring and evaluation plan. Research showing the limits of protective equipment makes the case for engineering controls. Involving workers in choosing and testing controls earns credit. The remaining points depend on organized writing and APA sources. Drafts that jump straight to earplugs, respirators or training, or skip evaluation, generally fall short on the main criterion.
MPH 540 Week 5 help: mistakes to avoid
MPH 540 Week 5 papers often propose personal protective equipment and training first, because they are cheap and familiar. Start instead at the top: can the hazard be removed, or replaced with something less harmful? If not, can it be enclosed, separated, ventilated or shielded? Only then add administrative controls such as rotation, schedules and rest breaks, and finally protective equipment, fitted and tested. Explain why each higher level is or is not feasible rather than skipping it. Use research on how controls perform in real workplaces. Include contractors, estimate costs against benefits and describe how you will measure exposure and health outcomes after the change. A before-and-after measurement is the only proof that a control worked.
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MPH 540 Week 5 questions, answered
What does MPH/540 Week 5 usually ask for?
The fifth environmental and occupational health paper usually centers on applying the hierarchy of controls to workplace hazards, proposing controls from the most effective level down and planning evaluation.
Where can I find a free MPH 540 Week 5 sample paper?
The melt shop controls paper above is yours to read free, with notes explaining each level of control. Name your hazard, and our first draft comes at no cost.
What are the levels of the hierarchy of controls?
Elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment, ranked from most to least effective by NIOSH.
Do hearing protectors prevent hearing loss?
In a study of 19,911 workers, those who never wore hearing protection had only modestly higher odds of hearing shift than those who always did, which raised concern about relying on protectors instead of reducing noise.
How can employers prevent heat illness?
By reducing heat at the source through shielding and ventilation, providing cooled rest areas, water and breaks, gradually acclimatizing new and returning workers and training workers and supervisors to recognize symptoms.
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