QUESTION: I've just started a new job, quite different from anything I have done before, where the noise level of machinery is very loud.
It is only a small shop, and one of the older men who has been there for quite a while assures me that I will soon be used to it.
I don't want to make any waves, but do you think I should be thinking of protecting my ears from the sound in some way?
ANSWER: While taking the advice and counsel of a long time employee usually makes good sense, this time you are literally asking for trouble.
The probability is quite high that the reason this man has become "used to it" is that his hearing is already damaged, a condition which is permanent and without effective treatment.
The intensity of sound is measured in decibels, the faintest sound a human ear can normally hear labeled 0 dB, while normal speech or the sound of a typewriter or sewing machine measuring about 60 dB. If you must endure levels of 85 dB or above the chance of hearing lost is there, and with each increase in sound levels the risk increases dramatically. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires a hearing test for workers who must labor in environments which average 85 dB or more during an 8 hour work day.
If you're working with shop tools, that level is about 90 dB, while using a chainsaw or pneumatic drill puts you under a 100 dB load.
Work at this level without protection for your ears is legally limited to but 2 hours a day.
If you must stay close to such noise for a longer period of time each day, hearing protectors in the form of either ear plugs or earmuffs must be provided to you without cost.
These devices, when properly fitted so that the ear canal is totally blocked, can reduce sound levels by 15 to 30 decibels and provide you with important protection against hearing loss.
It is not a question of making waves in a new position, but in protecting your valuable hearing against permanent loss.
Proceed diplomatically, but make sure you do obtain the protection that the law provides and that your ears require.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
