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Blue Ridge Safety Associations
Safety Presentations
Hearing Conservation
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Protect Your Hearing
 Imagine your life without sound
 Hearing problems affect every aspect of life
 15 million Americans have hearing loss
 Once you lose your hearing,
you will never get it back
 Most people are unaware of the
damage until it is too late
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Damage From Hearing Loss
 First signs of hearing loss are:
– Trouble understanding telephone calls
– Missing words in general conversation
 Hearing loss causes:
– Other people’s speech to sound distorted
– Constant ringing or roaring in your head
– Friends and family to become frustrated
having conversations with you
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How Your Ears Work
 Tiny hair-like cells in your ear help the brain
interpret sound
 Loud noises damage
these cells
 Damaged cells can
not send massages to
the brain, causing
hearing loss
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When Is Noise Harmful?
 Loudness is measured in decibels
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–
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Normal conversation - 60 decibels
Busy traffic - 75 decibels
Woodshop noise - 100 decibels
Chainsaw - 110 decibels
 Hearing can be damaged if exposed to:
– 85 decibels for an average of 8 hours
– 140 decibels for any period of time
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Personal Hearing Protection
Devices
 Earmuffs, canal caps and ear plugs help
prevent hearing loss
 Personal hearing protection devices:
– Are required if exposed to 85 decibels
for more for 8 hours
– Will not impact ability to hear warning
signs in workplace
– Are required, even if you already have
hearing loss
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Disposable Earplugs
 Expand and conform to the shape of your
ear canal
 Clean hands before
handling
 After insertion, test
effectiveness
 Your eardrum is safe
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Reusable Earplugs
 Premolded to the shape of the ear canal
 Reusable, washable and come in many sizes
 Must fit snugly to work correctly
 Clean before every shift
 If they become hard or discolored,
replace them
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Canal Caps
 Look like ear plugs on a metal or plastic band
 Convenient when exposed to loud noises
for short periods of time
 Be careful not to forget about the dangerous
noise in your workplace
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Earmuffs
 Covers your whole ear with cushions
 Fits most ears
 Effectiveness depends
on air tight seal
 Not good protection
if you have a beard
or glasses
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Know the Early Signs
of Hearing Damage
 You should be able to talk to someone
standing in front of you without shouting
 Inform your supervisor if:
– There is a steady ringing in your ear
– Your ears constantly feel plugged
– You hear a whooshing sound
 Be aware of loud noises, even when wearing
hearing protection
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Noise Measuring Equipment
 Sound level meters provide you with a quick
reading to determine if your hearing is at risk
 Noise dosimeters
provide you with
an average of the
noise level during
your shift
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Ear Evaluations
 Audiograms required within 6 months of
exposure to noise levels above 85 decibels
 Hearing monitored with yearly audiograms
 If hearing deteriorates, you will be fitted with
new hearing protection
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Summary
 Hearing loss never comes back
 Caused by exposure to:
– 85 decibels averaged over 8 hours
– 140 decibels for any period of time
 Use earmuffs, earplugs or canal caps
 Look for early signs
 Audiograms identify early hearing loss
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Thank you for supporting BRSA
We appreciate your comments
about the effectiveness of this
training method and the delivery
system
E-mail your comments to
[email protected]
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