As sound enters the
outer ear, it is channeled down the ear canal until it reaches
the ear drum. The ear drum, a thin membrane stretched over
a tube, is moved by the sound waves. When the sound vibrations
reach the coiled, liquid-filled tube called the cochlea, thousands
of hair cells in the cochlea translate these vibrations into
electrical impulses that are transmitted to the brain for
interpretation. Repeated exposure to loud sounds can permanently
damage the tiny hairs called cilia. Once the cilia are damaged,
they never grow back.
Continual, unprotected exposure to
noises louder than 85 decibels (dB) for 8 hours or more can
be dangerous, and may result in hearing loss. Permanent damage
by sounds reaching over 100dB or more, can occur in 2 hours
or less. If you are exposed to loud and continuous sound for
more than 15 minutes per day at 100 to 110 dB, you need to
wear hearing protection.
Even brief exposure to gun blasts or jet
engine noise can cause pain and permanent injury if your ears
are not protected.
Hearing loss is cumulative and once lost,
can never be regained. The best way to protect your hearing
is to create a habit of wearing comfortable hearing protection.
Several types of ear plugs, bands or ear muffs are offered
by Norhttown with two major features: Superior performance
(measured as high Noise Reduction Ratings, or NRR) and most
importantly, comfort for the wearer.
Here are some recommendations for hearing
protection, whether you are a worker, safety director, purchaser,
or just someone who knows it is necessary.
- Know your hazard. Whenever possible,
measure the noise levels in your environment on a frequent
basis to determine exactly what the hazards are, and have
an understanding in what frequency ranges the majority of
the noise occurs.
- Trust the annual audiogram. Rely on this
information to gauge your hearing loss from year to year.
Is your hearing deteriorating? Is it due to noise induced
losses from the workplace, or simply the facts of aging?
- Select hearing protection that is right
for you, that is comfortable for you, and that you will
wear.
- Wear your hearing protection right. Each
type of hearing protector is slightly different. The important
thing to remember is that you need to insert ear plugs correctly,
or ear muffs completely over the ears. Then, you must always
test the fit.
- To test the fit, cup your hands
over your ears, then release. If you can hear a difference,
you may not be wearing your hearing protector correctly.
Remove, then fit again.
|
