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Safety makes sense: in protecting your ears from noise


by F. R. Willsey, extension safety specialist, Agricultural Engineering Department
Noise has damaged the hearing of many farmers who have a greater loss of hearing than the general public. Farm machine operators who experience ringing, buzzing, or inner-ear pain that persists might be developing permanent hearing loss. The ability to hear high pitched sounds is often lost long before the understanding of speech is impaired. Therefore, a farmer should not assume that his hearing has not been damaged just because he can still understand ordinary conversation without difficulty. However, continued exposure to loud noise can increase the difficulty of hearing normal conversation.
Ear protectors are perhaps the farmer’s best means to guard against noise induced hearing loss. However, these devices vary greatly in their protection against certain noise conditions. Strange as it may seem, noise which may be hazardous to your hearing might not sound too loud. For example, tractor noise is most intense at about 125 Hz (Hertz or cycles per second). Sounds of this low frequency may be less loud than sounds of higher frequency or pitch and may also be less irritating. But they may be just as hazardous. Therefore, farmers must protect against low frequency sounds—even though they may not seem as important. Since a person’s own judgment of sound quality is not a practical way to determine the effectiveness of hearing protection equipment, it is best to depend upon the results of standardized tests. Careful selection is important since not all muffs or plugs protect adequately against the low frequency sounds normally encountered by farmers on tractors.
PROTECTIVE DEVICES
In general, protective devices designed to be used in the ear are less effective than those placed over the ear. In addition to other qualities, ear plugs must fit tightly. Also, unless plugs are kept
clean, ear infection is likely. Because they are small, plugs are easily lost. In spite of these problems, ear plugs can provide reasonable hearing protection if they are the proper type, size, etc.
Tractor cabs can be designed to eliminate most of the harmful noise, but some cabs might actually increase the noise level on the farm operator’s ears. Stuffing cotton in the ears is worthless as a protective device.
Does ear protection equipment blot out sounds a farmer might want to hear—such as sounds that might indicate trouble in the machinery, or conversation
If you wear a hat, you might prefer the behind-the-head hearing protectors.
Cooperative Extension Service, PURDUE UNIVERSITY, Lafayette, Indiana