Empowering safety department - How long?

Recently, I read an article that the new boss of BP is reshuffling the safety division and is making it as the most powerful voice and that they can intervene in any of the technical functions of the BP. This is what is required by law also. Only that we do not follow.
I do not doubt about the capabilities of earlier safety staff of BP. I doubt only about the production staff. It is normal to see in any production facility that production staff and their bosses pay little attention to what safety department says. As the safety department is part of the facility, it can only advise. Implementation depends on the whims and fancies of the production department. Safety department becomes powerful only when the top man gives unconditional support to it. In the present case also, though the new boss ALLOWED safety division to be powerful, the time upto which it can be allowed to function this way will be limited, as Mr Trevor Kletz said, "corporate memory is short". As the memory fades gradually, well meant safety advises become additional work and time consuming for the production staff and slowly they start ignoring the safety advises. By that time, the BP boss who is making safety division powerful may also leave the organization and the STORY WILL REPEAT. Again as observed by Mr Kletz in his books.
It is my observation which evolved with my interaction with many of my friends in various industries and also from my knowledge of reading various books, safety blogs and investigation reports of CSB, HSE, etc that it is a worldwide phenomenon of giving importance to safety only after an accident and then slowly forgetting about it.
A KNEE JERK REACTION INDEED.

Noise - Hearing protection programme

There is an article on ill effects of noise and about hearing protection measures. But, today I learnt that though all of us know to reduce the noise levels to below 85 dBA, it is also not advisable to reduce it below to 70 dBA as it can cause hearing problems to operators regarding instructions, warning alarms, etc.

There is also a calculator in the above link to calculate the effectiveness of hearing protection based on the results of noise survey in your shopfloor.

Though Factories Act says 90 dBA is the noise limit for 8 hour exposure, it is a good practice to subject all employees to audiometry test, if they are exposed to 85 dBA even once in a year. Though supervisors will be reluctant to send the employees to audiometry tests to avoid production loss, considering the ill effects of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) and in extreme case may lead to loss of life if the employee is unable to hear warning alarms.