1 / 22

Noise and Hearing Conservation

Noise and Hearing Conservation. UCOP Safety Meeting March 2010. Developed by Karen Hsi, UCOP EH&S Student Intern. Noise and Acoustics. Noise and Acoustics. Hazardous noise exposures occur. On the job…. And off the job…. Measuring Noise. Sound Level Meter - Instant reading Quest 2200

sloan
Download Presentation

Noise and Hearing Conservation

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Noise and Hearing Conservation UCOP Safety Meeting March 2010 Developed by Karen Hsi, UCOP EH&S Student Intern

  2. Noise and Acoustics

  3. Noise and Acoustics • Hazardous noise exposures occur On the job… And off the job…

  4. Measuring Noise • Sound Level Meter - Instant reading • Quest 2200 • Sound level range from 30 to 140 decibels (dB)

  5. Effects of Noise • Temporary damage to sensorineural system – temporary threshold shift (TTS) • Permanent threshold shift (PTS) is noise induced hearing loss • Loss of communication • Physiological effects

  6. Noise Induced Hearing Loss • Causes no pain • Causes no visible trauma • Leaves no visible scars • Is unnoticeable in its earliest stages • Accumulates with each over-exposure • Takes years to diagnose Is permanent and 100% preventable

  7. Noise and Acoustics

  8. Regulatory Levels • Continuous Noise - 85 decibel, 8 hour time-weighted average (TWA)- Action Level ~Hearing conservation programs ~Training ~Annual audiometric examinations - 90 decibel, 8 hour TWA- Permissible Exposure Level ~Wear Earplugs

  9. How do I know if the noise levels are hazardous? • If you must shout to be understood over the background noise when standing about one arm-length away from somebody, that background noise is potentially hazardous.

  10. Time Weighted Average Permissible Exposure Limits

  11. Time Weighted Average Permissible Exposure Limits

  12. How We Hear…

  13. How the Ear Works… • Sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate • Bones in middle ear transmit vibrations to cochlea • Receptors (hair cells) in cochlea convert vibrations to electrical energy • Brain interprets these electrical impulses as sound

  14. Reponses of the Cochlea • Nerve cells in the cochlea are tuned to specific frequencies • Base of the cochlea is sensitive to high frequency sounds • Tip of the cochlea is sensitive to low frequency sounds

  15. Two Types of Hearing Loss Conductive • Caused by damage to or a malfunction of the outer and middle ear • Some causes • Excessive ear wax • Fluid in the ear • A torn eardrum • Colds • Usually hearing is restored once the cause is diagnosed and treated Sensory • Caused by damage to or a malfunction of the inner ear, auditory nerve, or the brain • Causes of sensory hearing loss • Aging, Damage to fetus, Hereditary, Noise, Disease, Injury, Drugs • Cannot be corrected medically or surgically • Hearing loss in the workplace is typically a sensory hearing loss

  16. CH P S K H TH T F SH High-Frequency Sounds of Speech

  17. Let’s hear what it sounds like to have progressive hearing loss… • Imagine you are at a classical concert.. but you are experiencing progressive hearing loss during it. Listen to the difference!

  18. Typical UCOP Noise Levels • Indoor (Office Environment) • Office Background Noise–45 to 60 decibels • Elevator-55 to 65 decibels • Normal Conversation-60 to 65 decibels • Copying Machine-65 to 70 decibels • Outdoors (Street) • Street Background Noise– 65 to 75 decibels • Trucks, Buses Driving By-75 to 80 decibels • All noise levels found are within the Cal/OSHA permissible exposure limits

  19. Noise exposure from MP3 Players and/or i-Pods with headphones • Dr. Dean Garstecki, audiologist from Northwestern University, suggests that i-Pod users take precautions • Hearing loss found in younger people that is normally found in aging adults • Listening to music at 110 to 120 decibel range • Earbuds can boost sound signal by 6-9 decibels • Follow the 60% volume/60 minute rule

  20. Other Options… • Wear Noise- Cancelling Headphones • Helps to cancel out background noise and prevents listeners from cranking up the volume on their i-pods/mp3 players. • Also recommends use of older style, larger headphones that rest over the ear opening.

  21. Other Types of Noise Exposures • UC Site Visits • Construction & Shops- Machinery, Backhoe, Tools, Jackhammers, etc. • Power Plants • Travel – Small Aircraft • Personal Activities/Hobbies • Gardening – Lawn Mower, Hedge Trimmer • Carpentry/Tools, Shooting Range, • Wear earplugs or earmuff to protect your hearing!!

  22. Hearing Loss Due To Noise Exposure Is … Painless Permanent Progressive … and very PREVENTABLE!

More Related