Impulse noise generated by starter pistols

Details

• Personal Author:
  Finan, Donald S. ; Flamme, Gregory A. ; Lankford, James E. ; Meinke, Deanna K. ; Murphy, William J. ; Soendergaard J ; Stewart M
• Description:
  Objective: This study describes signals generated by .22 and .32 caliber starter pistols in the context of noise-induced hearing loss risk for sports officials and athletes. Design: Acoustic comparison of impulses generated from typical .22 and .32 caliber starter pistols firing blanks were made to impulses generated from comparable firearms firing both blanks and live rounds. Acoustic characteristics are described in terms of directionality and distance from the shooter in a simulated outdoor running track. Metrics include peak sound pressure levels (SPL), A-weighted equivalent 8-hour level (L eqA8 ), and maximum permissible number of individual shots, or maximum permissible exposures (MPE) for the unprotected ear. Results: Starter pistols produce peak SPLs above 140 dB. The numbers of MPEs are as few as five for the .22-caliber starter pistol, and somewhat higher (< / = 25) for the .32-caliber pistol. Conclusion: The impulsive sounds produced by starter pistols correspond to MPE numbers that are unacceptably small for unprotected officials and others in the immediate vicinity of the shooter. At the distances included in this study, the risk to athletes appears to be low (when referencing exposure criteria for adults), but the sound associated with the starter pistol will contribute to the athlete's overall noise exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Acoustics Athletes Environmental Monitoring Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Acoustic-signals Author Keywords: Impulse Noise Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Hearing-loss Impulse-noise Noise-exposure Noise-induced-hearing-loss Noise-induced Hearing Loss Noise-levels Noise Exposure Noise Level Occupational Health And Safety Permissible-concentration-limits Signal-devices Signaling-systems Sound-analyzers Sports-injuries Sports Injury Starter Pistol Track And Field

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• ISSN:
  1499-2027
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Illinois ; Michigan ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  52
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20042139
• Citation:
  Int J Audiol 2013 Feb; 52(S1):S9-S19
• Contact Point Address:
  Deanna K. Meinke, Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Campus Box 140, Greeley, CO 80639, USA
• Email:
  Deanna.Meinke@unco.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2013
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction ; Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Audiology
• Supplement:
  S1
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:9a3b4d36fce9583c2927a0d012d0e8786a8991bde684042f24b157dbd335ae174ce2492cd0dfa72f646dfdc2fb259314904bd498cc1b323b83c1243d93c8082a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/194459/cdc_194459_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 323.26 KB ]