MANSFIELD — Richland County Dog Warden Missy Houghton is seeking a baffling solution to a noisy problem.
Houghton received approval from county commissioners on Thursday to have baffle-type panels installed in the ceiling of the main kennel and west wing to reduce the collective noise of barking dogs at the Home Road adoption shelter.
Aided by a grant from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, Acoustical Solutions, based in Henrico, Va.,. will install the panels in areas where indoor decibel levels in the 80s and 90s have been recorded.
According to the National Council on Aging, 90 decibels is similar in volume to a lawn mower — and it would be running in an enclosed space.
The total cost for the project would be $29,207. A BWC grant would cover 75 percent ($21,905). Commissioners on Thursday agreed to pay the remaining 25 percent from county capital funds.
The baffles work to absorb the sounds created by the barking canines.
Houghton said the barking impacts workers, volunteers and visitors.
It also impacts the dogs, themselves.
“It impacts their behavior and their overall demeanor. The longer they’re exposed to it, the longer it takes for them to decompress from a shelter environment. So overall, it has a pretty negative effect on the dogs,” Houghton said.
As of Thursday morning, the shelter was housing 99 dogs.
“The sound problems exponentially increase (with more dogs),” she said. “We are lower (dog population) than we have been, but it’s still significantly higher than our comfort level.”
The sound volume can also negatively impact residents visiting the shelter to perhaps adopt a dog.
Jenny Phelps, the Richland County risk management loss control program coordinator, said she took her elementary school-age children to the shelter a few years ago to purchase tags for their dogs.
“My kids were afraid of the kennels (due to the noise). I thought it would be nice to walk them through and just let them see the dogs. They just checked out. They said no,” Phelps said.
In a letter to commissioners Tuesday, Phelps provided a history of the noisy issue.
“In 2019, when the shelter had a fraction of the number of dogs that are currently being housed, an industrial hygienist from the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation conducted an assessment of the noise levels in the kennel areas.
“That study showed that the noise levels were still over the OSHA action level and were approaching the OSHA permissible exposure limit. Kennel attendants were given hearing protection and we started looking into ways to change the environment to reduce the
noise,” Phelps wrote.
“In 2020, BWC discontinued the safety grants and once the pandemic hit, the kennel saw a
dramatic decrease in the number of dogs they housed.
“BWC brought back the safety grants in November of 2023. We asked them to do another assessment of the noise levels at in the kennel areas. The industrial hygienist placed dosimeters on several kennel attendants to get an accurate measurement of the overall noise exposure in a typical work shift.
Phelps said the hygienist also placed dosimeters in each of the kennel areas.
“Of the seven samples taken, five exceeded OSHA’s permissible exposure limit and all seven exceeded the OSHA action level. Based on these results, the dog shelter must draft and follow a hearing conservation program,” Phelps wrote.
“While we can hope that the number of dogs in the shelter will decrease, we need to look back at 2019 and see that even if the numbers normalize again, we will still be exposing shelter employees and volunteers to high noise levels in the kennel areas,” she wrote.
“Our hope is that the acoustical products will provide enough relief that we no longer have to participate in a hearing conservation program,” Phelps wrote.
(Below are PDFs related to noise concerns in the kennels at the Richland County Dog Warden & Adoption Center.)
rachel troyer
josh hicks
renew floorcare 1 year renewal — 51,941 GF floor care in 2023
i think they have done fantastic job on our floors
1 year renewal
commercial floorcare (where from?)
====================================
englefield oil company – BP Duke/Duchess
renew 1 year
360,284 for gas/diesel in 2023
biggest department usage?
===================================
cameras
Approve Utility Permit Application from Richland County Sheriff for the
Installation of solar cameras at Illinois Ave and Mans-Lucas Rd
=========================
equipment for 6 vehicles — arpa
now want money to equip them
mears — i thought it was included
