This week at Pine Energy, our toolbox talk was about noise and hearing protection.
Occupational hearing loss is 100% preventable. That’s a fact, and it’s worth stopping to think about because the damage is permanent and accumulates quietly over time.
Here’s what we covered:
Know the numbers. Hearing can be damaged by regular 8-hour exposures to 85 decibels. At 100 dBA, repeated exposures of as little as one hour per day can cause damage. For reference: a normal conversation is about 60 dBA, a belt sander is about 93 dBA, and a jackhammer is about 110 dBA. Construction sites regularly exceed safe thresholds.
Wear the right hearing protection. Options include earplugs, which slide into the ear canal; earmuffs, which surround the outer ear and can attach to a hard hat; and canal caps, which cover the entrance to the ear canal with a lightweight band. At 100 dBA or above, or for impulse sounds exceeding 140 dB, double protection should be considered. That could look like earplugs and earmuffs on top.
The consequences go beyond hearing. Prolonged noise exposure is associated with tinnitus, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and poor mental health. Hearing loss also makes communication on a job site harder, which creates its own safety risks.
We use loud tools and loud equipment. It’s a reality of our industry, and it’s not going to change. Protecting ourselves is necessary, and luckily, it’s not hard.