Hearing protection Cancel The title field is required!

1. Keith Pegg

   

   0 posts
   
   10/23/2013 9:10 PM

   Hearing protection: Just had inspectors here and now all my staff have to have ear plugs in at almost all times with almost every item of equipment we have. Not one item was over the limit however because they ride for so many hours and so many days per year, the inspector felt this is needed. I pointed out to them the men have to be able to hear golfers and the machine in case of a problem.
   Glad retirement is coming soon. This is way over board.
   Anyone have these kinds of restrictions. Walking greens mower and truckster are only items that are okay.
   
   Keith Pegg
   Zama Golf Club US ARMY Japan

   
   
   
   
2. Larry Allan

   

   0 posts
   
   10/24/2013 6:10 AM

   Keith, I understand your concerns completely but as someone who is now very deaf as a result of mowing with a unmufflered Jac Turf King, along with rock concerts and loud snowmobiles, I know the damage lack of hearing protection can cause.
   I used to be a very social guy but have become more and more reclusive because I can't hear other people talk. Watching TV, even at high volumes is like watching a Japanese movie where you make out the odd word or phrase. Music. forget it. It is just painful.
   Hearing loss is a slow process and it starts as a child and progresses throughout your life. The speed of that progression in large part is the degree and duration of noise levels.
   Any reasonable hearing protection will be appreciated by your employees down the road, rather they realize it or not.

   
   
   
   
3. Gary Carls

   

   19 posts
   
   10/24/2013 8:10 AM

   I'm with Larry on this one,
   
   The impacts of hearing loss will show up down the road and it's important to protect yourself from all the various equipment noise we experience on the golf course every day. Our employees actually have annual hearing tests every November to track how they are doing. A few times as changes were noted in certain parts of their hearing over the years the company that does the testing will actually recommend different types of hearing protection to avoid future problems.
   
   When I think back about all the different equipment I would run doing golf course construction 30 years ago with no hearing protection I consider myself fortunate that I have only had minimal impacts on my hearing. The reality is that most hearing protection actually does allow for fairly good hearing of normal speech when used properly and I rarely have any staff doing anything where they don't have some type of hearing protection in place. Better to protect now, than suffer the consequences later.

   
   Gary K. Carls, CGCS, President - Oakland Turfgrass Education Initiative
   
   
4. Sean Hoolehan

   

   0 posts
   
   10/24/2013 8:10 AM

   I agree with Red, I have some significant hearing loss at the higher pitches that makes it hard to hear women, children voices, and on phones (mainly cell phone). At meetings I try to get there before anyone so I can get a spot in the middle where I can hear both sides of the room. I am sure there are many factors that have added up to my hearing loss.
   
   I am going to pull the trigger on hearing aides soon. I have been researching them and have been in to see a audiologist. The quality and options today are great. I have talked to many friends and acquaintances who I notice wearing them. Recently I played 18 holes of golf with a gentleman who spent 40 years in the heating and cooling business. After golf we talked over a beverage and he told me about his hearing aides and how much he loved them. I never noticed he had them in during the round. He said it makes life a lot better for not just him but also his friends and family.
   
   Anybody out there have any personal purchasing advice? COSTCO seems to get rated highly from some people I have talked to for quality and price.

   
   
   
   
5. William Murphy

   

   8 posts
   
   10/24/2013 11:10 AM

   I also agree with using hearing protection. I have been in the business for 23 years, and wish I had been wearing earplugs all the time. All of us at our course now use hearing protection, many use ear muffs. You would be surprised what you can still hear while using them.
   
   Billy Murphy

   
   
   
   
6. Larry Allan

   

   0 posts
   
   10/24/2013 12:10 PM

   Sean Hoolehan, CGCS said: I agree with Red, I have some significant hearing loss at the higher pitches that makes it hard to hear women, children voices, and on phones (mainly cell phone). At meetings I try to get there before anyone so I can get a spot in the middle where I can hear both sides of the room. I am sure there are many factors that have added up to my hearing loss.
   
   I am going to pull the trigger on hearing aides soon. I have been researching them and have been in to see a audiologist. The quality and options today are great. I have talked to many friends and acquaintances who I notice wearing them. Recently I played 18 holes of golf with a gentleman who spent 40 years in the heating and cooling business. After golf we talked over a beverage and he told me about his hearing aides and how much he loved them. I never noticed he had them in during the round. He said it makes life a lot better for not just him but also his friends and family.
   
   Anybody out there have any personal purchasing advice? COSTCO seems to get rated highly from some people I have talked to for quality and price.

   
   Sean, mine were covered by Workman's Comp so I can't help you with a price however, get the best you can afford. I have found the behind the ear units to be far superior to the in-ear. I have had Widex and now have Oticon. Both have been great. The newest have bluetooth so the sound from your phone is output through the aid. All the good digitals are ok and along way from putting a listening horn up to your ear...but ultimately no matter how good, you will never again have that weird feeling of being a kid and hearing the buzz from the power lines. That is gone for good.
   There is only one benefit...You can shut the world off when the need arises

   
   
   
   
7. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   11/8/2013 9:11 AM

   As someone who has been deaf in my right ear since I was 6 years old I can agree with everyone here about the protection. I noticed some hearing muffs at home depot the other day that allowe you to hook up a phone or MP3 player to for about $29. I bouth some of these as christmas gifts for my crew a few years back and they still use them.
   
   Since my damage was to the nerves I had been told that aids would not be functional for me. Being deaf in my Right ear does make it easier to tune out my wife when I am driving though.

   
   
   
   
8. Richard Jensen

   

   0 posts
   
   1/28/2014 9:01 AM

   Keith,
   Anyone regulated by OSHA have these restrictions, most are unaware they exist or just don't follow them. Don't know if the same restrictions apply on a military base but OSHA regs state hearing protection must be worn when noise levels exceed 85dcb. It's a time weighted average of exposure time and noise levels produced by the equipment to meet protection thresholds. You also must have a written hearing conservation program and annually test affected employees with audiograms. We provide either plugs or muffs for all staff. Wearing a combination of both provides best protection. Wearing them does make hearing normal talking difficult, but you should be able to pick up equipment issues if worn properly. Also, if you have any employees already wearing hearing aids, they must remove them while wearing any type of hearing protectors.
   Once you lose it, it doesn't come back. As with the others, I wish I had know about noise exposure hearing loss when I was much younger. Years of unprotected shooting, rock concerts and equipment operation has ruined my hearing in the 3K, 4K and 6K frequencies which are the ranges normal speech patterns fall in. Thanks for the hearing aid info guy's, going to have to purchase some soon.
   An ounce of prevention....

   
   
   
   
9. Wahlin Scott B

   
   1/28/2014 10:01 AM

   My assistant was very diligent about providing ear plugs for the crew. He and I did not use them, but everyone else did. I have tinnitus and hearing loss from the same stuff as the rest of you: machines, rock concerts and hunting. Thankfully the only time I notice is in crowds. I did not realize I was doing it over the years, but if you look right at me and speak I understand. If I cannot see your lips I am lost. The only time the tinnitus bothers me is in total silence. I need a fan or some other white noise in the background and I am fine.

   
   
   
   
10. Timothy Johansen

    

    0 posts
    
    2/16/2014 11:02 AM

    Like many of you, loud music in the younger years and many years in the turf business operating equipment without hearing protection took a toll on me also. Been real good about wearing protection for the last 10-12 years but by then the damage was done. My family has been bugging me for years to get something done about the hearing (as well as other health issues), I finally listened to them and went to the doctor first and then to an audiologist. There was no physical reason for the loss which was the good part, but like Sean, my loss was high tones as well. Since I still lead a very active lifestyle, I went with a style that would interfere least with day to day activities. They are Oticon, and have a pairing device available that will allow iPad,iPod, phone hookup with bluetooth. I bought some over the ear muffs with plugin for iPod or phone and it is fantastic. Hopefully your insurance will offset the cost since they are in excess of 6K. I am sure there will be some grumbling this spring when I lay down the law on wearing protection while operating equipment instead of allowing iPods from now on.

    
    
    
    
11. Sean Hoolehan

    

    0 posts
    
    2/17/2014 7:02 PM

    Well I have my hearing aids in the insurance process. The audiologist who tested me said that I had been faking it for quite a while. That I have both hereditary and exposure hearing loss. It is the hereditary loss catching up to me that has made a significant difference over the more recent years. I waited for the start of the new year because I could max out my FSA to help cover my portion. I am getting the Phonak Audeo Q. I will report back when I actually have them which might be a couple more weeks.

    
    
    
    
12. Vandervaate Randy

    
    5/20/2014 9:05 AM

    I'm sure this will come up,and I've researched this in the past, but what type of meter do you purchase, and how about those cool smart phone apps?
    
    Here is an Amazon link to a dosimeter that I have researched and own for safety program noise level testing. I use the Extech 407730, and it costs about $70. http://amzn.to/1k2bGgQ .
    
    This is a great tool for you course to have. And it's specifically designed for measuring noise levels so that you can maintain safe worker sound level exposures. It is also an ANSI Type 2 compliant device.
    
    I have researched iPhone dosimeter applications (phone app's), and my recommendation is to not use this app, or any other smart phone app, for sound level safety compliance for a number of reasons.
    Variability in microphone performance, microphone noise limit maximum dB levels of smartphone microphones (100-105 dB on average), different microphone types on different phone, etc, just to name a few.
    
    I have downloaded the SoundMeter+ onto my iPad. It's a fun phone app for informational purposes, and general reference only. The Soundmeter+ literature clearly states that their smartphone application is IEC 61672 and OSHA compliant. Upon further reading within their app description they also say "This app and all its information are not intended to be used as legal evidence for workplace/merchandise safety, or for any other fields."
    
    Another phone sound meter app for smartphones offers this information - "REMEMBER!! The smart phone microphones were aligned to human voice (300-3400Hz, 40-60dB). Therefore the maximum values are LIMITED by the manufacturers. The very loud sound(100+db) cannot be recognized. Moto Droid(max.100), Galaxy S3(81dB), Galaxy Note(91dB), Galaxy S2(98dB)"
    
    Another phone sound meter app site clearly states that "Obviously, there was never an expectation that the iPhone's inexpensive microphones would perform in a manner consistent with precision measurement mics that are (justifiably) much more expensive."
    
    For the safety of you, and your employees, I recommend you get a scientific tool that was designed specifically for measuring sound accurately such as the Extech 407730. I have one that I use, and its easy to operate, works perfectly, and is ANSI 2 compliant. You can use other ones...this is just on that I researched before buying, and know it works great.
    
    Extech 407730 - http://amzn.to/1k2bGgQ
    OSHA ANSI 2 Compliant Device - https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/noise/exposure/instrumentation.html

    
    
    
    
13. Keith Pegg

    

    0 posts
    
    5/20/2014 3:05 PM

    Thanks,
    
    I did buy a meter and measured all equipment Government has a higher standard than most so about 1/2 my mower need ear protection. Under normal only the big tractors and some hand units trimmers would need same.
    
    Keith

    
    
    
    
14. Keith Bennett

    

    2 posts
    
    5/29/2014 9:05 AM

    Working in a county system, hearing protection and proper PPE is a major concern and is spelled out for each job and piece of equipment, with just about everything requiring ear plugs and safety glasses. According to our 'safety director', there have been successful lawsuits across the country where guys (or gals- hearing loss doesn't discriminate) who work their whole career not using any kind of hearing protection, file suit a couple years into retirement claiming the employer did not provide them with or did not enforce their wearing hearing protection, resulting in hearing loss that the employer is liable for. Only in America can sue somebody and win because they didn't make you do something!

    
    
    
    
15. Max Lamas

    

    0 posts
    
    2/17/2016 9:02 PM

    IMO you can hear mower problems better with hearing protection than without hearing protection.

    
    
    
    
16. Andrew Cross

    

    5 posts
    
    2/18/2016 11:02 AM

    Max Lamas said: IMO you can hear mower problems better with hearing protection than without hearing protection.

    
    
    I would agree as long you aren't listening to music. I feel I can hear the more subtle tones off the engine and reels when most other noises are filtered out using proper PPE(Ear Muff or Ear Plugs).