GETTING YOUR PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) FACTS

RIGHT - 5 FACTS AND 5 MYTHS

“I AM ALL EARS”

Andrew D. Perkins MS, CIH, CSP, COHC (@adpthatsme)

Submission toward the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)(@BOHSworld) and 3M (@3M_UK_Safety), International Scientific Conference of the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) (#IOHA2015), Young Occupational Hygienist Completion(#3mcompetition)

Let your feedback be heard!

Respond to all competition submissions on Twitter using hashtags

#IOHA2015 #3McompetitionChatImages from IHOA, BOHS and 3M

The Myth: I don’t need to

protect my hearing now!

I will get a hearing aid,

take medication or have

surgery to correct my

noise induced hearing

loss later!

The Facts: Hearing aids can’t restore lost hearing

sensitivity where cochlear hair cells have been

destroyed! No medication exists that restores

hearing in humans with noise induced hearing loss!

Surgery to reverse noise induced hearing loss is not

available!

Protect Your Hearing Today To Hear Tomorrow!

The Myth: I don’t need to protect my hearing now! I

will get a hearing aid, take medication or have

surgery to correct my noise induced hearing loss

later!

Image from Clark Audiology

The Myth: All hearing

protectors are the same!

Images from 3M

The Facts: Hearing protectors are very diverse.

These devices have been designed to fulfill a wide

range of needs. If you understand your hearing

protection needs. A solution to fulfill your protection

needs most likely exists.

Select the correct hearing protection for your

needs!

The Myth: All hearing protectors are the same!

Image from Construction Safety

Equipment

Image from Gaebler Image from 3M

The Myth: Noise reduction rating (NRR),

Single Number Rating (SNR), Sound Level

Conversion (SLC80) or Canadian Standards

Association(CSA) listed on hearing

protection is the level of protection all

persons will achieve with a particular

hearing protector!

Image from hearos Image from Howard Leight

The Facts: These values can’t accurately predict

the exact level of attenuation every wearer of a

particular model of hearing protection will achieve.

Physiology, donning process, other PPE in use,

work tasks and other factors will all have an effect

on the real level of attenuation achieved. Don’t Only Rely On The Labeled Protection Level!

The Myth: Noise reduction rating (NRR), Single

Number Rating (SNR), Sound Level Conversion

(SLC80) or Canadian Standards Association(CSA)

listed on hearing protection is the level of protection

all persons will achieve with a particular hearing

protector!

Image from

Cision

The Myth: No quantitative methods

exist to assess real world attenuation of

a ear plug for a given person!

Images from Microsoft Clip

Art

The Facts: Field Attenuation Estimation Systems

(FAES) using Field-Microphone In Real Ear (F-MIRE) or

Real Ear Attenuation at Threshold (REAT) can

accurately quantitatively assess real world attenuation

of a ear plug for a given person. This value is called

Personal Attenuation Rating (PAR). Methods Now Exist To Better Assess Ear Plug Effectiveness!

The Myth: No quantitative methods exist to assess real

world attenuation of a ear plug for a given person!

Image from 3MImage from Workplace Integra Image from Howard Leight

The Myth: Occupational/Industrial Hygienists

should not focus their resources toward the

hazards of noise. It is not as important, when

compared to chemical and other physical

hazards!

Image from The Samuel

Roberts Nobile Foundation Image from Microsoft Clip

Art

Image from keepcalm-o-

matic

The Facts: Noise is the most ubiquitous hazard for

many persons on and off the job. To often effects of

noise hazards are misunderstood and marginalized. No

cure for noise induced hearing loss exists today. Once

hearing is gone it is gone forever. Noise induced

hearing loss has been shown to have wide-ranging

negative health effects. Noise induced hearing loss is

100% preventable!Noise Induced Hearing Loss Decreases Quality Of Life!

The Myth: Occupational/Industrial Hygienists should

not focus their resources toward the hazards of noise. It

is not as important, when compared to chemical and

other physical hazards!

Images from Microsoft Clip Art

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN

OCCUPATIONAL/INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE &

PREVENTING NOISE INDUCED HEARING LOSS

Quote from the inspirational Alabamian

Helen Keller: "Blindness separates us from

things but deafness separates us from

people.“

Image of Helen Keller from

Wikipedia

The world can be loud. We take our ears

everywhere. Protect them on and off the job

everyday.Let your feedback be heard!

Respond to all competition submissions on Twitter using hashtags

#IOHA2015 #3McompetitionChat