Is you BH being used on your property or off site? On your own property unless you are a farmer/employer you can get by with murder till an incident happens and insurance is involved. If used in construction you would not be allowed on my construction site. The OSHA rules require the horn at the decibels stated (would have to look that up). Noisy, yes. Modifications to alarm systems carry a big fine when discovered as that is considered a willful act and blatant disregard for safety. Plus the liability issue if the equipment is involved in an incident. Your insurance company will be harder on you than the State.
Ron
Mostly my own property but not always so. Yes, it is safety that I am most concerned with. That's the aim of the OSHA regs too; but I can't help but wonder if they automatically get everything right the first time. In fact, as I look at their rules it's hard for me to tell if I'm looking at the results of some sort of study or just somebody's opinion.
I'm a naturally careful operator with 50 years experience. And I know from experience that it is easier for me to stay focused on safety when there isn't the distraction of a horn blaring in my ear. That blaring puts me in a rush - with the result that I tend to gun it in reverse so I can shift back into fwd to be rid of the noise.
Frankly I know that for myself there are times when I'm more concerned with getting rid of the distracting noise than in taking extra time to look out as good as I should. That worries me, and I can't help but think that rushing around like that is when an accident can happen.
But, shucks. Maybe I'm either wrong, or in a tiny minority, or just waving at ghosts - because nobody ever seems to ever dislike the backup alarm. Or at least they don't talk about it. So maybe I'm the only operator who feels that way.
As far as lawsuits, liability, and job sites go - well those things scare me as much as the next person Hopefully that's balanced by living a good life. But it also doesn't feel right to let fear of what someone else might do rule too much of my life either. It's a tricky balance between responsibility & consequences; that's for sure.
just sayin, rScotty