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Hearing Protection

According to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): “When the daily noise exposure is composed of two or more periods of noise exposure of different levels, their combined effect should be considered, rather than the individual effect of each. Exposure to impulsive or impact noise should not exceed 140 dB peak sound pressure level.”

GOOD NEWS – noise induced hearing loss, tinnitus and hyperacusis in approximately 30% of the population can be PREVENTED!

Dangerous Decibels is a non-profit public health partnership for prevention of noise-induced hearing loss. They offer 3 very simple rules anyone can follow to protect their hearing:

Rule of thumb is if you are less than 3 feet away from the person you are speaking with, yet you must raise your voice to be heard, than the sound in your environment may be dangerously loud and should be turned down.

If You Can Distance Yourself or Leave – Do So!

“The Inverse Square Law teaches us that for every doubling of the distance between a sound source and the recipient of the sound, a 6 dB drop would occur if there were no echo.  This would be the equivalent to cutting your noise pressure levels by 75%.  For instance, if you stand 10 feet from a sound source and experience a 90 dB reading, at 20 feet you would experience an 84dB reading in the absence of echo.”

Wear PROPER Hearing Protection!

There are many different styles of hearing protection, for the specific type of activities you engage in – like fire arms, motorcycle, concert, lawn equipment, movies, etc.

What are some of the products available and why are they important to use?

Whether it is to protect your hearing from being exposed to damaging levels of noise, to minimize the risk of hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound) or to reduce the risk of medical ear problems, there are custom ear products…….

Musician plugs and ear monitors – custom designed ear pieces for musicians, TV broadcasters and for those who enjoy attending musical events. These products are custom made to comfortably fit your ear and manufactured with the latest technological advancements. Ear monitors help eliminate feedback, lower onstage noise levels and reduce vocal fatigue. Using musicians’ monitors allows you to hear with clarity and crispness when practicing and performing. They can also be used to help protect your hearing – a priceless commodity.

Noise protection – custom designed ear devices that can protect from dangerous sound level exposure which can damage hearing. Depending on the type of noise activity you are exposed to – work or recreation – there are appropriate styles of ear protection to choose from. Candidates for these products include but not limited to: dentists, dental hygienists, bartenders, music teachers, concert goers, motorcyclists, construction workers, heavy equipment operators, lawn and wood-working equipment.

For the hunter, firearm enthusiast this product is designed for high level impact noise exposure and is designed to allow the wearer to hear clearly but will instantly shut down when a certain loudness is reached to protect your hearing.

Swimmolds – These custom fit ear pieces are primarily designed to avoid getting moisture or water in the ear. Individuals prone to ear problems (swimmer’s ear or fungal infection), ear surgery (tubes or tympanostomy), perforated (hole) eardrum or simply like to keep their ears dry when engaged in water activities such as swimming, diving, showering may opt to wear swimmolds because it helps to avoid unnecessary medical conditions. This product can also be used effectively for hearing protection.

Pictures courtesy of Westone