Can I carry on a conversation while wearing hearing protection?

Yes. Earplugs and other types of hearing protection devices are designed to bring noise levels down to a safer, more comfortable level. Most people without damaged hearing have no problem carrying on a conversation while wearing hearing protectors. Often, in noisy/loud environments, hearing protection wearers discover that these devices seem to "filter" out the background noise, actually making conversation and music clearer and easier to understand.  

my jop is loud,How loud is your job?

How loud is your job?

Noise exposures greater than 85 dB may cause hearing loss. General estimates of some work-related noises, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), are listed below. Where does your job fit in?

• • Rocket launch - 180 dB
• • 12-gauge shotgun - 165 dB
• • Jet engine at takeoff - 140 dB
• • Ambulance siren - 120 dB
• • Pneumatic percussion drill - 119 dB
• • Hammer drill - 114 dB
• • Chain saw - 110 dB
• • Continuous miner - 108 dB
• • Bulldozer; spray painter - 105 dB
• • Impact wrench - 103 dB
• • Hand drill - 98 dB
• • Tractor - 96 dB
• • Belt sander - 93 dB
• • Hair dryer; power lawnmower - 90 dB
• • Ringing telephone - 80 dB
• • Normal conversation - 60 dB

Hearing loss,more informations & General facts

General Facts About Hearing Loss

What is a Temporary Hearing Loss (Temporary Threshold Shift)?

With a temporary hearing loss, normal hearing will usually return after a rest period away from all sources of intense or loud noise. The recovery period may be minutes, hours, a day or perhaps even longer. It is believed that a temporary hearing loss occurs when hair cells in the inner ear have been bent by vibrations and need time to bounce back, or when the fluid in the inner ear has changed chemically because of over-stimulations, and needs time to revert to its original composition.

What is a Permanent Hearing Loss (Permanent Threshold Shift)?

A permanent hearing loss is the result of hair cells or nerve destruction within the cochlea. Once these important parts of the hearing process are destroyed, they can never be restored or regenerated. The resulting permanent hearing loss, also referred to as permanent threshold shift (PTS), can range from slight to total hearing loss.

The following factors determine the degree and extent of hearing loss:

• Type of Noise – continuous, intermittent, impact, high or low frequency
• Intensity of Noise – level of loudness
• Duration of Exposure – length of time subjected to noise, and over time how often subjected to noise
• Type of Noise Environment – enclosed, open, reflective surfaces
• Distance from Ears to the Source of Noise – earphones in the ear, centimeters from the ear, meters, etc.
• Physical position/posture relative to the noise source
• Age of listener
• Individual Susceptibility
• General Health of listener
• Number of other Exposures to Noise – at home, in the workplace, during recreational/leisure activities, etc.

strain to hear ??!!

Imagine, for a moment, that you must strain to hear ...

the sounds of your favorite TV program or CD, or play them so loudly they drive everyone else from the room. Imagine that you have trouble hearing your family members from across the room or co-workers from 20 feet away. Imagine that you must also wear a hearing aid to hear your grand kids’ laughter.

Unfortunately, for many workers in construction, manufacturing and other industrial settings these situations are all too real. They suffer significant hearing loss after 15 to 20 years of being subjected continually to noise from machinery, day-to-day activities, tools and traffic. Hearing loss has a dramatic impact on quality of life and also can pose safety problems on the job and off.

Fortunately, hearing loss in industrial settings and construction also is completely preventable through a combination of quieter equipment, hearing conservation programs, and use of proper hearing protection.

Hearing protection products from ISEA members meet the EPA Noise Control Act of 1972 (40 CFR 211) and set the world standard for reducing harmful noises while allowing workers to stay in touch with their surroundings and communicate effectively with co-workers. Click on the links below to find manufacturers of these types of hearing protectors:

Active Noise Canceling Headsets use an electronic system to cancel unwanted background noise while at the same time enhancing the quality of audio delivered through the headset. They are used primarily for in-flight noise reduction.

Band Type Hearing Protectors come on a flexible plastic band that is worn under the chin while the protectors are in the ears. The band can be left resting around the neck while the protectors are not in use. They are designed for convenience in work areas with varying noise levels.

Communication Headsets block unwanted noise while at the same time allowing the wearer to communicate clearly with co-workers. Special microphones suppress environmental noise to aid in two-way communications.

Ear Caps seal the opening to the ear without entering the ear canal. Similar to band-type hearing protectors, they usually come on a band that can be placed around the neck when the caps are not in use for convenience in work areas with varying noise levels.

Ear Muffs suppress unwanted noise by completely covering the outer ear.

Disposable Ear Plugs are made of formable material and are designed to be inserted into a person’s ear canal, where they expand and conform to the shape of each individual’s ear canal.

Reusable Ear Plugs usually are premolded and made from silicone, plastic or rubber and are available in several different sizes. Workers sometimes refer to them as "Christmas tree plugs" because of their appearance. They often come in a carrying case to keep them clean when not in use.

Noise, what is it?! Or: what a concert has in common with a pneumatic hammer .

Especially dangerous is the so called “leisure noise”. In this case we perceive the sound level mostly as comfortable although it reaches incredible dimensions.

Hearing damages caused by noise are vicious. Because hearing loss caused by noise influence is only rarely perceived indirectly. Noise damages the hearing slowly and unrecognized but steady and most of all lasting and irrevocable. The sensitive hair sense cells in the human’s inner ear are pulled out due to constant noise influence.

A good example for when it is too loud for the human hearing is the working world – independent from subjective perception. From a middle constant level of 90 dB (e.g. a milling machine) wearing a hearing protection is regulation.

Just compare: Average values of 90-105 dB are reached on a dance floor in discotheques, 80-100 dB during an opera performance in the orchestra ditch and 100-115 dB during rock concerts. In techno discos even the pain threshold - which is around 120 dB – is crossed!

With a sound level meter you can check how high the level is around you in different situations.

 where we compared different volume levels.

If the noise you are facing is not explicitly higher than the pain threshold, nobody can say for sure when a hearing damage will develop (ear noises like whistling, rustling and so on point to a secure damage). Depending on the noise’s duration and frequency the hearing can cope with the above mentioned noise level once in a while. On the other hand it can already be damaged with lower values. But it is a fact that it is just too much for your hearing if you are constantly exposed to noisy, continuous or simply disturbing sound. And if the right combination of sound level (dB), frequency (Hertz) and time of influence adds to this then your hearing and your health can even be ruined.

Noise has lots of negative results on your hearing:

High risk to suffer from Tinnitus (hearing sound)

Increased blood pressure

Increased energy consumption

Decrease of electric skin resistance

Decrease of peristaltic

Decrease of blood circulation

Decrease of working efficiency (mistakes, accidents and sickness)

Poor recovery in phases of relaxation

Influenced deep sleep phase