Noise Exposure Assessment and Abatement Strategies at an Indoor Firing Range

Details

• Personal Author:
  Hayden, Charles S. II ; Kardous CA ; Murphy, William J. ; Reeves ER ; Szlapa P ; Willson, Robert D.
• Description:
  Exposure to hazardous impulse noise is common during the firing of weapons at indoor firing ranges. The aims of this study were to characterize the impulse noise environment at a law enforcement firing range; document the insufficiencies found at the range from a health and safety standpoint; and provide noise abatement recommendations to reduce the overall health hazard to the auditory system. Ten shooters conducted a typical live-fire exercise using three different weapons--the Beretta.40 caliber pistol, the Remington.308 caliber shotgun, and the M4.223 caliber assault rifle. Measurements were obtained at 12 different positions throughout the firing range and adjacent areas using dosimeters and sound level meters. Personal and area measurements were recorded to a digital audio tape (DAT) recorder for further spectral analysis. Peak pressure levels inside the firing range reached 163 decibels (dB) in peak pressure. Equivalent sound levels (Leq) ranged from 78 decibels, A-weighted (dBA), in office area adjacent to the range to 122 dBA inside the range. Noise reductions from wall structures ranged from 29-44 dB. Noise abatement strategies ranged from simple noise control measures (such as sealing construction joints and leaks) to elaborate design modifications to eliminate structural-borne sounds using acoustical treatments. Further studies are needed to better characterize the effects of firing weapons in enclosed spaces on hearing and health in general. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced
  • Law Enforcement
  • Noise
  • Noise, Occupational
  • Occupational Health
  • Radiation Dosimeters
  • Safety
  • Workplace
• Keywords:
  • Noise analysis
  • Noise control
  • Noise exposure
  • Noise induced hearing loss
  • Impulse noise
  • Law enforcement workers
  • Work environment
  • Police officers
  • Auditory system
  • Dosimetry
  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  1047-322X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology ; PRL - Pittsburgh Research Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  18
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20023321
• Citation:
  Appl Occup Environ Hyg 2003 Aug; 18(8):629-636
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/220659/cdc_220659_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 397.90 KB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a3c7f23ff9cb4c510efc030ae887fe4243157e94e20f53ce16a883332239e0205d5c185d2f25b46342e5f01b0b227985ab24dce0975ec0e4d87fa95a194399b6