Hearing Conservation.pptVIP

* * Hearing Conservation Employee Safety, Health and Environmental Orientation Purpose The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) requires that companies implement a Hearing Conservation program to protect their employees from over-exposure to noise in the workplace. Content WHAT IS HEARING CONSERVATION Its protecting your hearing from a POTENTIALLY DAMAGING LEVEL OF NOISE. Noise can interfere with the sound you hear. WHY SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT HEARING CONSERVATION ? Because your hearing is priceless. Good hearing helps you to enjoy life. Many of lifes most valued pleasures involve hearing. HEARING CONSERVATION WHERE DOES NOISE COME FROM? Noise can come from many areas, both on the job and off. Transportation Area: Cars, Trains, Planes, Trucks Machines: Lawnmowers, Grinding Machines, Drill Presses Entertainment: Radios, Television, Concerts, Walkmans Sports: Crowd Roar HOW DOES SOUND GET TO THE EARS? Sound travels in waves through the air. The ear changes the energy in the sound waves into electrical signals. These electrical signals are heard by the brain and translated into the sound we hear. HOW IS SOUND MEASURED? In two ways 1. Intensity 2. Frequency INTENSITY WHAT IS INTENSITY? Intensity is the sounds loudness or volume. Intensity is measured in decibels (dB). With an increase of 10 dB, the intensity or loudness seems to double, so a sound at 70 dB seems twice as loud as a whisper at 60 dB. WHAT IS FREQUENCY? The second way that sound is measured is by frequency. Frequency is the pitch or tone (high or low) of a sound. Frequency is measured by the number of complete sound wave cycles each second or hertz (Hz). One hertz stands for 1 vibration per second. Frequency High-frequency noises are more damaging to hearing than low frequency noises. Some examples of the different frequencies of sound are: Lowest note on a church organ ....... 16 Hz Normal Conversation ........................