Technical
You should never have music playing inside your ear defenders. You are basically making yourself deaf to the outside world and approaching hazards will go unheard
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A simple phone app will give an accurate enough indication of the action values stated in the noise regulations
Worn Correctly: You should never have music playing inside your ear defenders. Aside from the hearing damage you may suffer, there is the complete lack of external sound. You are basically making yourself deaf to the outside world. Approaching hazards will go unheard.
Also, the noise generated by the machine can provide valuable feedback about how hard it is working and any warning buzzers or alarms will also go unnoticed. Your concentration could be affected, making operation more dangerous. PPE is important, and it should/must be worn and used correctly.
Levels of Protection: All hearing protection is tested and should quote the level of protection it provides, either on the packaging or on a technical manual within the packaging (that’s the piece of paper with the fine print thats usually thrown away!).
The protection level is quoted as the SNR (Single Number Rating). So, a pair of defenders with 30 SNR will reduce the external noise level by
30dB. Most of us get either 28 or 30 SNR defenders when they are issued by either the stores or our suppliers. These are perfect for a Brushcutter producing 110dB, as the operator’s noise exposure is reduced to 80dB. However, on the Ransomes triple mower quoted earlier at 85dB (operator’s ear), the final level is a whisper quiet 55dB.
Good news then? Well, not necessarily so, as over protection can be a serious issue. If there is traffic to negotiate, the general public, or perhaps children in the vicinity, then the operator may not hear these potential hazards until it is too late. The current HSE advice is to not go under 70dB, which would mean finding ear defenders rated at, or under 15 SNR, which are not readily available.
I train many operators who claim that they cannot hear what is going on around them when wearing ear defenders. Whilst this sort of
“ 128 I PC OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
comment is often just trying it on, I do believe that this is a genuine case on quieter machinery, so it is worth considering whether hearing
protection is actually required and,
more importantly, getting the right level of protection for the job.
Test it yourself!
A simple phone app, available as a free download, will give you a basic dB meter. Whilst it is not as sophisticated as the proper testing equipment used by professionals, it will give an accurate enough indication of the action values stated in the noise regulations.
The limit is the quality of the microphone in the phone you are using; they are designed to work on the human voice, at conversational levels (50 to 70dB), but they are still pretty accurate at 80 to 85dB. Above that, we should be wearing hearing protection anyway, and accurate figures are available in the operator’s manual.
Over protection can be a serious issue. If there is traffic to negotiate, the general public, or perhaps children in the vicinity, then the operator may not hear these potential hazards until it is too late
All hearing protection is tested and should quote the level of protection it provides, either on the packaging or on a technical manual within the packaging (that’s the piece of paper with the fine print that’s usually thrown away!)
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