EAR & EYE PROTECTION
motorsports, target practice or hunting, even mowing the lawn – it could all damage your hearing.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT HEARING PROTECTION You should always use hearing protection when exposed
to harmful noise and if necessary, choose a protector adapted to your work environment, for example, a product with ‘level dependent hearing protection’.
NOISE SOURCES These examples contain dominating mid- high frequency noise: Centrifuges, hydraulic pumps, wood working machines, impact tools and grinding machines.
These examples contain dominating low frequency noise: Engine generators, electric furnaces, diesel generators, melting furnaces, ground vibrating machinery, blasting machines and compressor units.
Hellberg Safety recommends that the calculated level under the hearing protector should be around 75 decibels given that its real-life (attenuation) performance may be affected because of incorrect fitting, misuse and poor maintenance. Performance protection can even be affected by anything that impairs the hearing protectors seal, such as long hair, facial hair and glasses.
Finally, here’s some useful tips. Choose hearing protection that fits correctly and is comfortable the entire time you are exposed to noise at work.
Make sure you’ve got 100% wear time in noisy environments and remember, the use of eyewear can reduce the hearing protector’s attenuation of between three and eight decibels, so if possible, select thin eyewear frames.
Your health and wellbeing on site is just as important as getting a job done quickly, efficiently and in comfort. So make sure you choose your PPE products carefully.
THE FASTEST SENSE What we call ‘noise, is usually described as sounds we
experience as unpleasant or disturbing. High level of noise is hazardous to your hearing. Noise can also lead to stress symptoms, discomfort and pain. Harmful noise is everywhere. Loud music, a rock concert,
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Noise can be continuous, intermittent, impulsive or variable depending on how the noise changes over time or how a person moves in a noisy environment.
CONTINUOUS NOISE Steady continuous noise does not vary over time. In
the industrial environment, the sound of a rotating electric motor (a fan, pump etc.) can be classified as steady continuous noise. Fluctuating continuous noise change level or/and frequency over time. Most manufacturing noise is fluctuating.
INTERMITTENT NOISE Noise is intermittent if it stops and starts at intervals.
One example of intermittent noise is a compressor.
IMPULSE NOISE Impulse noise is characterised as a short pulse (less that one second) with very fast rise time and a level of at least 20dB above the continuous noise level.
Impulse noises are very dangerous to hearing. The brain needs at least 0.3 seconds to identify a sound at the right level. The hearing organ reacts a lot faster. We do not realise that these noises are harmful to our hearing and we often disregard the need for protection. Examples of sound sources giving impulse noise are gunfire and hammer blows.
HEARING LOSS Hazardous noise affects the functioning of the hair
cells in the inner ear leading to impaired hearing ability.
Hearing may be restored after a period of time away from noise but with further exposure the hair cells will gradually die and the hearing loss will become permanent.
Permanent hearing loss can also occur suddenly. Exposure to one single impulse noise is enough to destroy the inner ear of an unprotected hearing organ.
Damage hair cells cannot be replaced or repaired by any known medical treatments or technology.
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