Construction settings are often filled with hazardous noise. The noise of industrial equipment and machinery can be quite powerful, sometimes causing immediate damage and sometimes leading to long-term hearing loss and other complications. It’s important to have the right types of noise protection available to your workers, but what are those types of protection, and how do you use them effectively? The Importance of Noise Protection It may not seem like noise can be harmful, but especially loud noises that are prolonged can be devastating for your hearing. With even brief exposure, it’s possible to suffer permanent hearing loss, which is irreversible by modern medical science. With prolonged exposure, hearing loss can be even more devastating, eventually leading to full or partial deafness. Even putting that risk aside, hazardous levels of noise can be dangerous for a construction business. If no one can hear each other communicate, they will be unable to safely recognize or address hazards on the job-site. It’s critically important for your employees to be able to safely communicate with each other. It’s also prudent to take noise protection seriously because hazardous noise is so common in construction environments. In fact, more than half of all construction workers have been exposed to dangerous noise levels – and 14 percent have hearing issues. Additionally, more than half of workers exposed to hazardous noise reported wearing no form of hearing protection. What Types of Noise Are Hazardous? According to OSHA, any noise level above 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA) requires hearing protection. Construction environments frequently feature machinery capable of making noise between 80 and 120 dBA. For example, a typical bulldozer can be as loud as 110 dBA, while some tools like jackhammers can reach up to 130 dBA. Remember that dBA is not a linear scale, but a logarithmic one; even a small increase in dBA represents a large increase in the intensity of sound. For each increase of 5 dBA, a crew member’s time exposed to the noise should be halved. If it is tolerable for a worker to be in a 90-dBA environment for 8 hours, they can only tolerate a 95-dBA environment for 4 hours. How do you know whether the noise level in a given environment is hazardous enough to warrant noise protection for your employees? The easiest approach is to use a sound measuring device, which can help you objectively calculate the sound levels of different equipment and at different positions relative to that equipment. If you don’t have access to sound measuring equipment, OSHA recommends using the 2-3 foot rule. To test this rule of thumb in a practical environment, simply stand 2 to 3 feet away from someone. If you have to raise your voice in order to communicate, the ambient noise level is likely above 85 dBA, which means people in this area require noise protection for their safety. The First Line of Defense The first line of defense in any safety program is to reduce the prevalence of hazards. Similarly here, your first line of defense is to reduce the noise hazards to which your employees are exposed. If you have extremely loud pieces of equipment, is there a way to avoid using them, such as using different types of equipment? Can you erect temporary barriers to block sound? Can you rotate people on loud responsibilities, or shorten certain time frames to reduce the amount of time your employees are exposed to loud noises? Types of PPE to Consider Protective equipment for noise comes in many varieties, but nearly all of them offer an objective noise reduction rating (NRR). The higher this rating is, the more noise protection the piece of equipment provides; for example, earplugs rated NRR 25 can reduce the intensity of sound by 25 dBA. ·       Earplugs. Earplugs are small, comfortable, and potentially made from many different materials. They’re relatively inexpensive and can be used with other equipment, including earmuffs, hard hats, and goggles. ·       Earmuffs.  Earmuffs provide much more protection, as they fit around the ear, but they also tend to be more expensive and much less comfortable. ·       Canal caps. Canal caps provide more protection than simple ear plugs since they cover the entrance to ear canals. They’re also somewhat more comfortable and flexible than earmuffs. Why Don’t People Comply? Why do so many construction workers fail to comply with noise protection standards? ·       Not taking the threat seriously. Some people don’t wear ear protection or even make it available because they simply don’t take the threat seriously. ·       Safety culture problems. This could also be an issue with safety culture. People treat safety recommendations and procedures as optional or unimportant; they’re not going to go out of their way to wear hearing protection. ·       Leadership problems. If a person in a leadership position doesn’t wear noise protection, their employees probably won’t either. You need leaders in place who take safety seriously and set a good example. ·       Comfort concerns. For some people, comfort is an issue. Fortunately, there are many types of hazardous noise protection available, such that everyone should find something comfortable for them. ·       Acclimation. It’s also possible for people to become acclimated to a noisy environment. With enough exposure, you may grow to underestimate the hazards involved. If you want your construction workers to remain safe, you need to take noise protection seriously. With a better understanding of hazardous noise and better equipment available, you can keep your employees safer. The post How Does Noise Protection Work in a Construction Setting? appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.