A Question of Ear Protection for High Noise Levels

A Question of Ear Protection for High Noise Levels

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QUESTION: I've just started a new job, quite different from anything I have
done before, where the noise level of machinery is very loud. It is only a
small shop, and one of the older men who has been there for quite a while
assures me that I will soon be used to it. I don't want to make any waves,
but do you think I should be thinking of protecting my ears from the sound in
some way?
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ANSWER: While taking the advice and counsel of a long time employee usually
makes good sense, this time you are literally asking for trouble. The
probability is quite high that the reason this man has become "used to it" is
that his hearing is already damaged, a condition which is permanent and
without effective treatment. The intensity of sound is measured in decibels,
the faintest sound a human ear can normally hear labeled 0 dB, while normal
speech or the sound of a typewriter or sewing machine measuring about 60 dB.
If you must endure levels of 85 dB or above the chance of hearing lost is
there, and with each increase in sound levels the risk increases dramatically.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires a hearing test for
workers who must labor in environments which average 85 dB or more during an 8
hour work day. If you're working with shop tools, that level is about 90 dB,
while using a chainsaw or pneumatic drill puts you under a 100 dB load. Work
at this level without protection for your ears is legally limited to but 2
hours a day. If you must stay close to such noise for a longer period of time
each day, hearing protectors in the form of either ear plugs or earmuffs must
be provided to you without cost. These devices, when properly fitted so that
the ear canal is totally blocked, can reduce sound levels by 15 to 30 decibels
and provide you with important protection against hearing loss. It is not a
question of making waves in a new position, but in protecting your valuable
hearing against permanent loss. Proceed diplomatically, but make sure you do
obtain the protection that the law provides and that your ears require.