Anybody know what the acceptable noice levels in a work environment is?
Or what levels are considered 'safe'?

Personally i always use a face shield and hearing protection when running the CNC, but im curious how bad it is for you to stand in a 102 dB environment (that's what the 7310 porter cable spindle cranks out)

That's way too much.

Prolonged exposure to those db's will be harmful. If I remember, 60+ can be harmful after prolonged exposure.

'Rekd

OSHA's permissable noise exposure for 102 decibels is 1.5 hours. If you do a Google search you shouldn't have any problems finding the appropriate information.

I can't seem to find any listed requirements for under 85db. I'm no expert, however.

Decibel Sound Pressure Level expresses the sound pressure level relative to 20 micro Pascal (µPa). 20 µPa at 1 KHz is the weakest sound level a person with normal hearing can hear and is defined as 0 dB SPL. Sound pressure at 20,000 µPa is equivalent to 60 dB SPL, which is where you hear normal speech.

robotic regards,

Tom
= = = = =
Whereas *security* deals with "external intrusion" into our computers, *privacy* is concerned with issues of "internal extrusion".
- - Steve Gibson

thanks guys, exactly what i was looking for

No wonder I'm going deaf! I fart at 105db, 20 times a day for 47 years. At 1 second duration, thats 95 hours of farting :D

Originally posted by HuFlungDung
No wonder I'm going deaf! I fart at 105db, 20 times a day for 47 years. At 1 second duration, thats 95 hours of farting :D

1 second duration? WHIMPY WHIMPY WHIMPY!

'Rekd teh you gots to hold em back longer :eek:

Originally posted by HuFlungDung
No wonder I'm going deaf! I fart at 105db, 20 times a day for 47 years. At 1 second duration, thats 95 hours of farting :D

ROTFLMAO!

Master, you must teach me.

I love it! Woo Hooo :D

Its official, the zone now rules.

I believe OSHA limits are 82, 105 is definetly a "Better not do" db.
You can never go wrong wearing ear protection. Look at Hu, even farting has affected his hearing over long periods of time.

The best hearing protection available is the Howard Leight LM-777 or their foam ear plug MAX-1.

Hu, where in the crap do you come up with thi stuff? :D

ullbergm send me your address (USA) and I will send you a couple pair of the MAX-1 to try.


kshea@ontargetsportsonline.com

Ken

Hu, I really, really enjoy your humour!!!! On a points based scale i must give you 11/10, just an extra point for your wicked(?) sense of humour!

To counter deafness you must learn to f**t different. We call it: "silent but violent" f**ts!

Klox

Klox:
In the USA there are tales (tails?) of SBD (silent but deadly) winds.

robotic regards,

Tom
= = = = =
"A hard man is good to find."
- - Mae West

I have noticed after riding my scooter with my pals, and stopping for a break. We all scream at each other. So I wear hearing protection on long trips.

However, after working in the shop all day, I have trouble hearing my daughter for a an hour or so. But when I wear ear plugs, I can't hear the tones of the machine. I feel it's better to hear the equipment in case something is wrong. It's just to costly to miss a problem, and destroy components. I have found no ear plugs, that block minimal noise only.

It may not be right, but it's my viewpoint...

It's just to costly to miss a problem, and destroy compone

Inthedark, have you priced good hearing aids lately?;)

Better start wearing hearing protection now or the time you spend not hearing your daughter will turn into all day.

Go to Radio Shack and get a DB meter, if the level is acceptable great, if not you will slowly, little by little lose you hearing.

Ken

Dark,

I too, have not found any ear PLUGS which do not distort my hearing. BUT...

I religiously use ear MUFFS, which allow the sound of the machine in, but not the ear damage you ARE currently experiencing...

My favorites are some govt. surplus, intended for use around aircraft. But another set I have is for shooters, and works as well, but is heavier on my head. All my employees over the years have become converts. Many were like you at first, but after using the muffs, and finding that they could not only hear machine variations, but ALSO hold conversations WHILE the machines were running (routers, saws, mills, etc.) it's an easy sell.

There are some newer "compact" models which don't work as well, IMO. The best ones (for shop use) seem to have "air space" or "room" inside the earcup. The compact models DO reduce the sound level, but seem to ALSO do more distortion of the sounds we're WANTING to hear...

So look for BIG, ugly<G> round (oval really) earcups, with a metal "connector" to hold 'em on yer hed. (The kind you see the cops on TV shows using when they're at the shooting range)The all plastic ones seems to be the sound distorters...

Hope this helps,

Ballendo
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/ Here's a pic (sideways, like the smilies) <G>
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Originally posted by inthedark
However, after working in the shop all day, I have trouble hearing my daughter for a an hour or so. But when I wear ear plugs, I can't hear the tones of the machine. I feel it's better to hear the equipment in case something is wrong. It's just to costly to miss a problem, and destroy components. I have found no ear plugs, that block minimal noise only.

It may not be right, but it's my viewpoint... [/B]

Originally posted by ballendo
Dark,

My favorites are some govt. surplus, intended for use around aircraft. But another set I have is for shooters, and works as well, but is heavier on my head. All my employees over the years have become converts. Many were like you at first, but after using the muffs, and finding that they could not only hear machine variations, but ALSO hold conversations WHILE the machines were running (routers, saws, mills, etc.) it's an easy sell.



are you talking about something like this?
http://www.websoft-solutions.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ProEarsSlmDm2
Harmful noise levels are kept below 70 dB, sounds below 70 dB are amplified so every sound is heard even at great distances. Incredible 50 dB of gain.

they are pretty expensive..
but i was curious, so they really work?

I use the yellow rollup one you stuff right in your ears.

http://www.aearo.com/html/products/hearing/earclassicsoft.htm

OK, I will heed your warnings, and break out the silencio plugs I use for skeet.

I probably just need to get used to using them in the shop environment anyhow.

My humble thanks to all,

Nope, Not those...

The one at lower left in this link

http://www.onestopshopcatalog.com/sports-catalog-hunting---fishing-shooters-ear-muffs.html

And the 20 buck "golden Eagle" in this link

http://www.tools-r-us.biz/ntc/h/Hearing_Protection/

Notice the AO safety stowaway two slots down. see the smaller ear area I was talking about? The nest one, the contour ear muff, is ALSO the type I prefer

You don;t need to spend hundreds, and I SURE wouldn't want a radio in anything over MY ears while in the shop!

By the way, the silencio type has the smaller ear cup volume, and will likely result in the distortion you're trying to avoid. They're great for guns, but not for the shop, IMO.

Get one of the large earcup varieties with a wire frame, and save the silencios for shooting.

Hope this helps,

Ballendo

P.S. Here's another useful link:
http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/safety/occ_health_safety/node_32KMS8LR7Lbe/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_5SDD44F7DZge/gvel_15GNZX1TWCgl/theme_us_ohes_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html

Originally posted by ballendo
You don;t need to spend hundreds, and I SURE wouldn't want a radio in anything over MY ears while in the shop!


yeah, i thought those were a little expensive :)

Here(Sweden) you are allowed to work in an 85dB(A) environment without protection for eight hours. The time shortens with the increase in sound pressure:

85dB - 8h
88dB - 4h
91dB - 2h
94dB - 1h
97dB - 30m
100dB - 15m
103dB - 7.5m
106dB - 3.75m

The table should show you how important ear protection is, most earplugs is capable of damping up to 20dB, that's the difference between 7 minutes and eight hours! It also demonstrates why you should always keep the plugs in your ear, remove them for five minutes and you've exposed yourself to two thirds of the maximum.


BTW: If you intend to work with the machine a lot I can really recommend getting custom molded plugs, pricey but they fit nice and doesn't give that annoying pressure that atleast makes me unable to wear normal plugs for long times.

Slightly higher than the standards in Sweden, attached is what I found on OSHA's website.

Here is the link (if it works):OSHA Occupational Noise Exposure (http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9735)

Funny how this table indicates 90dBA. At my day job, we always provide hearing protection when equipment exceeds 85dBA.

BTW: don't rush to wear hearing protection. You can't hear your wife nagging at you through the walls in your house as much as the hearing starts to go.

Chris

are you talking about something like this?
http://www.websoft-solutions.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=ProEarsSlmDm2


they are pretty expensive..
but i was curious, so they really work?


there are alot of 30 dollar cheaper version on ebay.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=electronic+hearing+protection&category0=

Wish i could try out out befor paying :) Maybe they would have one out of the box at a firearm shop?

40 quiet office, library
50 large office
65 - 95 power lawn mower
80 manual machine, tools
85 handsaw
90 tractor
90 - 115 subway
95 electric drill
100 factory machinery
100 woodworking class
105 bench grinder
105 snow blower
110 power saw
110 leafblower
120 chain saw, hammer on nail
120 pneumatic drills, heavy machine
120 jet plane (at ramp)
120 ambulance siren
125 chain saw
130 jackhammer, power drill
130 air raid
130 percussion section at symphony
140 airplane taking off
150 jet engine taking off
150 artillery fire at 500 feet
163 rifle
180 rocket launching from pad

Some db levels for fun :)

note that hammer on nail is way up there at 120 db. I'm pretty sure I've lost 10db in my right ear from a project that required a lot of hammering. The hearing loss can be useful when I point my left ear away from something I don't want to hear, but the ringing noise can be annoying.

Our shop stays at less than 70db on ave. Thats considered acceptable.

Our shop stays at less than 70db on ave. Thats considered acceptable.

How do you get the average? 700db for 1 hour out of 10 equals 70db on average.:D

Well, acctualy we check it with a meter three times a week (once per shift).