Understanding Hearing Conservation If dB is decibels, what’s dBA mean? The term dBA refers to A-weighted decibels. These are commonly used to describe sound level recommendations. The dBA scale is based on both intensity and how the human ear responds to sound. Because of this, dBA offers a good idea of when sound could damage your hearing. Putting dBA into Perspective TYPICAL NOISE LEVELS DB(A) Jet aircraft at takeoff, 50 m away 140 Live rock band (Threshold of pain) 130 Standing beside or near sirens 120 Chainsaw, 1 m distance 110 Construction site 100 Boiler room 90 Freight train, 30 m away 80 Vacuum cleaner, distance 1 m 70 Conversational speech, 1 m 60 Urban residence 50 Whispering at 2 m 40 Quiet rural area 30 Silent study room 20 Normal breathing 10 Hearing threshold 0 https://www.listentech.com/understanding-noise-reduction-ratings-nrr/ Time to reach 100% noise dose 8 hours 4 hours 2 hours 1 hour 30 minutes 15 minutes Exposure level per NIOSH REL 85 dBA 88 dBA 91 dBA 94 dBA 97 dBA 100 dBA Exposure level per OSHA PEL 90 dBA 95 dBA 100 dBA 105 dBA 110 dBA 115 dBA Proper Donning of Ear Plugs Foam Earplugs 1 Roll the earplug with your fingers so it gets thinner. Use your opposite hand to lift the top 2 of your ear up and back. This will help straighten out your ear canal. Now slide the rolled-up earplug in. Gently hold the earplug in place with 3 your finger until it expands. Your voice will sound muffled when the plug has made a good seal. Flange Earplugs 1 Lift 2 Insert 3 Guide •If one or both of your earplugs does not seem to fit properly, remove and reinsert. •To remove earplugs, gently twist and slowly pull. •To check the noise, cover your ears with your hand. The earplugs should block enough noise so that there should not be a big noise difference. SAFETY FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT CONTACT: SAFETYQUESTIONS@FASTENAL.COM OR 1-833-FNL-SAFE
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