Category: Hearing Protection

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Case Study: Comm Failure and Catastrophe

Light Brigade
The following line’s are a testament to the heroic charge of the UK’s famous Light Brigade in the battle of Balaclava.
Remarkable bravery was shown by men who knew their orders were incorrect.
Charge of the Light Brigade
Officers and men of the 13th Light Dragoons, survivors of the charge, photographed by Roger Fenton
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
   Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
   Rode the six hundred.
 The Charge of the Light Brigade
BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

 

What you might not have heard is the contrasting epic poem of the success of ‘The Charge of the Heavy Brigade’ by the same author. A man named Scarlet, only weeks away from retirement, was reactivated and led a brilliant campaign. He lost only 20 men in a battle that cost enemy lines more than 200 men!

What was the key difference that led one to success and the other to failure? Certainly, no one could question the loyalty or bravery of the soldier in either case. The answer lies in the revealing lines:

Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
   Someone had blundered.
It is still a matter of conjecture to this day who’s fault it really was. Some say it was that the original order didn’t make it through because the orders were misquoted. Others say that even if they made it through the casualties would still have been absurd because of bad strategy.
One thing is for certain, if they’d been wearing Dalcomm Tech gear, they would have had perfect, clear comms, and quite possibly avoided this massive tragedy.
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Avoid The Tragedy Of Hearing Loss

BeethovenThe Problem

Tragedy, is an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress. Sometimes tragedies result from a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe. There’s not much that can be done about those problems. However, other tragedies, such as hearing loss from exposure to loud noise, are avoidable and are in your control.

Beethoven’s loss of hearing was a painfully ironic and truly great tragedy. It eventually led him into depression even to the point of considering suicide. Just think of it! Beethoven was the composer of ‘Ode to Joy’, a composition so brilliant and beloved that it was used as the European Anthem two hundred years after his death. Sadly, he could not delight to hear it for himself.

How much noise are you exposed to? For most pilots it’s enough noise to cause hearing loss. An article published by the FAA states: “tests conducted by the Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) demonstrated that all propeller-driven, fixed-wing aircraft and all helicopters are potential sources of damaging noise intensities”. Now think on how much you personally value the sound of your children’s laughter, the caring voice of your significant other, music, the waves crashing on the beach and on and on. How terrible it would be to lose these!

The Solution

The same article from the FAA states that private pilot’s need hearing protection.  They go on to say: “experiments showed that the use of earplugs or similar hearing protection will prevent nearly every difficulty listed.” There are so many headsets to choose from that it’s difficult to decide. Therefore, we’ve provided some reasons to chose the Dalcomm Tech J1 pilot’s headset.

True Style: Protect yourself in style with the J1 carbon fiber pilot’s headset. It’s the Lambourghini of headsets.

True Protection: Trust the protection of Dalcomm Tech headsets because, real scientists say they’re safe. Dalcomm headsets are tested by an independant laboratory.

True Solutions: Dalcomm offers the best solutions for even the loudest aircraft.

  • J1 Pilot’s headset: The J1 provides 23dB of passive noise reduction. That’s enough protection to bring the noise down below the published threshold for safety in many aircraft.
  • J1-ANR: Add protection with ANR (Active noise reduction) and Bluetooth with the J1-ANR.
  • J1-Dual: For very noisy equipment the J1-Dual with in ear communications buds Comply Tips from CEP for an additional 29dB of attenuation. Contact Us for ordering information on J1-ANR and J1-Dual.

 

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What is an NRR rating?

J7H-DualAre you really being protected?

Naturally, we all want to protect our hearing, but how do you know if the headset, headphones, ear plugs etc. you are using are actually protecting you?

The quick answer is that you can check the NRR rating protection. The NRR is the Noise Reduction Rating, and is usually found on the packaging, in the manual or on the hearing protection manufacturer’s website. The NRR rating will typically fall in the range of 20 to 30dB. Basically, the bigger the number, the more noise you’re blocking.

But, and this may sound obvious, your hearing needs protection across the whole range of human hearing frequencies. You or your workers might be have hearing protection that claims 30dB but that in reality only offers protection for one small portion of the range. Some hearing protection may work its best in a noise frequency range that is different from your work noise frequency range exposure. For example, machinists are exposed to high pitch squealing noises while aircraft pilots are more often exposed to bass frequency noise. Make sure you find the chart for your protector so you know if your protector is blocking the right ranges for your workplace environment.

Having trouble figuring out the actual NRR rating on your protector? You’re not alone. Some brands will state ‘blocks/attenuates 30dB of noise’ while the NRR rating is actually around 18dB. How can they do that? They are correctly stating that it blocks 30db. However, they are talking about 30dB at one frequency range. NRR ratings include the whole range of hearing frequencies. So, do your research. If they don’t advertise the actual approval it’s likely it will sound unflattering to their product.

Who Sets the Standards?

NRR product ratings are performed by certified labs. There are different standards in different countries. The US has the EPA and OSHA with concern to hearing protection safety standards. The standards for the US are part of the American National Standards (ANSI). For more information, please visit the OSHA website. There is also the EN 352.1 standard in Europe. While each standard differs slightly, the overall methodology is similar in that the NRR is an estimate based on what will be achieved by as close to 100 percent of users as possible when the hearing protection is properly worn. In other words, the NRR rating is an average that describes how well the average person wearing the hearing protector will be protected.

A Word About Exposure Levels

OSHA states that a work environment can not expose workers to more than 85dB’s of noise for an 8 hour shift. So the goal of hearing protection is to get the worker’s exposure down below that number. Historically it has been said that if your hearing protection blocks 30dB and your environment is 100dB then your fine because 100dB – 30dB is only 70dB and you’re safe. However, more recent studies show that’s not entirely correct. Some manufacturers suggest cutting the NRR rating in half and then subtracting it from the exposure dB number. Others suggest the following.

  • Subtract seven from the NRR number, which is given in decibels.
  • Divide the result by two.
  • Subtract the result from the original noise exposure level in decibels.

In considering the level you need there is a balance needed because there is also such a thing as over-protection. A pilot for example may need to hear certain qualities of the sound of the engines for safety reasons. A factory worker may need to hear certain alarms. So be observant and balanced in your approach and remember to read up on what you’re actually getting.