Field investigations of noise reduction afforded by insert-type hearing protectors.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Edwards RG ; Lempert, Barry L.
• Description:
  The effectiveness of various types of ear plugs was evaluated. Attenuation tests were performed of 28 subjects in 15 industrial facilities. Ear plugs tested were a twin flanged type, the V-51R ear plug, ear plugs made of acoustic wool or acoustic foam, and a custom molded ear plug. In each facility, the workers used the same ear plug type and were tested 5 times over a 5 day period. The attenuation test procedure was given with ear plugs inserted and with ear plugs removed. Testing was performed after the start of the work shift when workers had been performing their regular duties with ear plugs inserted. Noise reduction values were calculated for each test. Fifty percent of the workers tested were receiving less than 50 percent of the potential attenuation of the hearing protectors. Median noise reduction value from laboratory data was 13 versus 28 decibels (dB) over all ear plug types for all subjects. Greatest attenuation was provided by the expandable foam ear plugs. Attenuation values for custom molded ear plugs were smaller than those for preformed and acoustic wool ear plug types, but field attenuation values were larger. The authors conclude that for any ear plug design there will be large differences between laboratory established attenuation values and those actually received in the industrial setting. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ear Ergonomics Laboratories Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Sense Organs Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Ear-protectors Equipment-reliability Field-study Hearing-protection Industrial-equipment Laboratory-testing NIOSH-Author Noise-control Safety-practices Sound-attenuation Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DBBS - Division of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  44
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00138752
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1983 Dec; 44(12):894-902
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1984
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1ec5b2c728860bfa890cfadd99a03561960a0939b4b383f497c1b5ed72a6233ccb1513e586caf4da5e5922ee23bfd57ee88c87f65ebccff970e0920311f0446d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/184721/cdc_184721_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 835.62 KB ]