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ion devices
Hearing defender
Highly effective and
moderate cost.
Essential for
tarmac and
workshop
areas.
-
Noise measurement
II
thes
hair cel
i n t
electria
signals.
Thes
electric
signals at
I:j1t, ii ii mT
then transmi
ted to the audit(
ry centre of the bral
via electrical pathways.
The result is the sound we hear, which
roughly in the frequency range of 2(
1/.
1.ig.iiiI
Frequency in Hertz
20 500 100 15) 200 300 40)0 ()00 800
*10
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
so
90
100
41
110
120
tective device that is appropriate to the severity of the hazard. The device must meet Australian design standards. The options are:
Combination of foam ear plugs and ear
defender.
Communication headset.
Communication ear plug.
Active Noise Reduction (ANR),such as electronic noise cancelling headsets.
You should also attend to:
Correct fit.
Regular maintenance and inspection.
Access for users (whether the devices are for
personal issue or issue as required).
Proper storage to avoid damage and deterioration.
There are grades of protection which
depend on the quality of manufacture, cost
and functional requirements.
The technical specifications of the HPD
should be available from the vendor. The specifications must be compatible with your work
environment. If you are in doubt about the
requirements, get specialist advice about the
needs of your workplace.
Jeff Brock is acting director of aviation medicine, CASA.
The regulatory
requirements
The Regulations state that medical
certificate holders:
Must be free of any hearing defect
that is likely to interfere with the
safe exercise of privileges, or performance of duties, under the licence
that the person holds or has applied
for.
Must not, when in a quiet room,
have a hearing loss in either ear of
more than:
- 35dB at any of the frequencies of
500Hz, 1,000Hz or 2,000Hz; or - 50d13
at 3,000Hz;
unless the person passes a speech
test, or an operational check, by an
approved person carrying out the
examination in an aircraft of similar
ambient noise level to that in which
the relevant person is or will be
operationally involved.
The national standard for exposure to noise in the occupational environment is an eight
hour equivalent continuous A-weighted sound pressure level, LAeq,8h of 85dB(A). For peak
noise, the national standard is a peak noise level, Lpeak of 1400(lin). The exposure to
noise is taken to be that measured at the employee's ear position without taking into
account any protection which may be afforded by personal hearing protectors.
The standard and a code of practice for management of noise and prevention of hearing loss are available from the Australian Government Publishing Service.
Protection
In order of priority, the following strategies
should be used to combat hazardous noise:
Noise control at source.
Noise control at the point of reception.
Noise control along the pathway to the subject(s).
These can be achieved in a number of ways:
Regulatory intervention including enforced
standards.
Engineering and design.
Sound insulation and absorption.
Enclosures.
Vibration isolation and damping.
Distance.
Reduced exposure time.
Noise attenuating devices.
You should use the personal hearing proFLIGHT SAFETY AUSTRALIA AUTUMN 1997 21