[spierdolony]

Hi guys,

My current job entails repetitive work operating loud machinery.

To prevent hearing loss we are required to wear hearing protection i.e. foam inserts or earmuffs.

At the moment we have a no discman, ipod etc. policy. My supervisor wants to convince managment that it's a good idea to allow us to wear IEM's under earmuffs, a solution that will allow us to keep both our sanity and hearing intact.

Managements arguments against this are:

1. The music may stop us hearing firealarms etc.

2. High volume listening may damage our ears leaving them open for lawsuits i.e. blaming the machinery for hearing damage instead of the music, or blaming them for allowing us to listen to music.

3. The cable may break the seal of the earmuffs allowing the machinery noise to damage our hearing.(This doesn't actually happen but its still something they may argue)


Without music we are all likely to go insane!!!

Does anybody know of any certified solutions that meet OH&S requirements for hearing protection that allow music to be listened too at reasonable level?

Are there decibel limiters that can be placed between the source and headphones to limit the output to safe levels?

Has anybody had any similar experiences?

Also I'm in Australia not sure what that may affect regulation wise.

Sorry for the long post thought it would be best to give you guys all the info.

Thanks,

 

[Zorander]

What kind of machinery are you working with? I am not so sure about working while listening to music in this kind of situation. There is a tendency for the listeners to be distracted and potentially endanger themselves (on top of the less likely occurrence of an alarm). I used to work in a process plant and had to stay vigilant for troubles such as acid leaks, fire, operators in trouble, etc. The last thing I could afford to do was listen to music and isolate myself away.

I had entry-level earmuffs that helped reduce potentially damaging noise but still allowed me to hear others (albeit very muffled; hooray to sign languages!). The isolation was already superb. There are higher-up models that provide even greater level of isolation. This is a more practical solution IMHO.

Regards.

 

[Stikk]

Just wondering, have you considered those earmuff things that have headphones in them? They sell them in like bunnings and mitre10 and stuff, my Dad had a pair but they also had a little FM tuner in them so he could listen to music while he was mowing the lawn and stuff. They make them with a regular 3.5mm jack or, if you really don't care about SQ, get some of the FM tuner ones and an iTrip and bam! wireless headphones.

I think those would be the best idea because putting IEMs under the earmuffs would probably render your ability to hear alarms and stuff severely impaired. I would think those earmuffs I described would meet OHSE standards and I'm pretty sure they are designed for people in your situation.