Field Comparison of Gas-Powered vs. Battery-Powered Equipment for Grounds Maintenance – Hedge Trimming Operations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Beamer B ; DiFrancesco J
• Description:
  American landscaping workers use a variety of noise-producing equipment and are at a high-risk for hearing loss. Although an effective control strategy is to replace noisy equipment with quieter alternatives, the most common method of hearing loss prevention in the United States is the use of hearing protectors. This reliance on hearing protectors often stems from lack of enforced regulations and the absence of product noise labels. However, one company has successfully implemented a buy quiet program for the task of hedge trimming. This presentation summarizes a field comparison of workers' noise exposure for two hedge-trimming crews: 1) one using gas-powered equipment and 2) the other using battery-powered equipment. Dosimetry and sound level measurements show that the crew using battery-powered equipment had significantly lower noise exposures than the crew using gasoline-powered versions. Furthermore, the management of this hedge-trimming crew provided researchers with information regarding evaluating the feasibility of switching over to battery-powered equipment and their systematic approach to buying quieter equipment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Radiation Dosimeters Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Buy Quiet Dosimetry Equipment Design Equipment Operation Equipment Operators Exposure Levels Hearing Loss Hearing Loss Prevention Hearing Protection Landscape Services Workers Noise Control Noise Exposure Noise Induced Hearing Loss Noise Levels Noise Protection Noise Sources Protective Measures Risk Factors Sound Work Environment Workers

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• ISBN:
  9788487985317
• Publisher:
  Spanish Acoustical Society (SEA)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058383 ; nn:20058420
• Citation:
  Inter-Noise 2019: Noise Control for a Better Environment, the 48th International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering: June 16-19, 2019, Madrid, Spain. Madrid, Spain: Spanish Acoustical Society, 2019 Jun; :1474
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e04b926a8ee6c01da90139f7d6794675881f2653a03ad48d1270727342c6eb76d2ee98c49ec43c9ad322fcfefc7be446a144138f896b28ed5cf50b487c10d1a2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221494/cdc_221494_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 569.08 KB ]