Safety Tip: Ear Plugs for Hearing Protection

Unfortunately, many construction workers have hearing impairments because they were too stubborn to ask for a pair of ear plugs, or ear muffs, when they were working around generators, heavy construction equipment, air compressors, and moving vehicles, for years and years, never realizing that the noise these things were generating were damaging their hearing. OSHA says that if there is more than 90 decibels near you on your work site, you need hearing protection, such as ear plugs, to protect your hearing. Did you know that an idling truck produces about 110 decibels? Or that a generator, from a distance of 10 to 15 feet, produces as much as 120 decibels? Or that the jack-hammer you used last week to break up a piece of concrete produces nearly 136 decibels? When the noise increases beyond that magic OSHA number of 90 decibels, get those ear plugs in your ears and keep them in. But, once again, many workers say, “Gee, I can’t hear the back-up alarm on that excavator if I’m wearing ear plugs!” That’s a bunch of baloney! A properly-operating back-up alarm can easily be heard by someone wearing ear plugs. There are also those who say they always wear ear plugs on the job site, but they already have a 10 percent hearing impairment. Guess what? This same person spent his high school and college years in noisy night clubs or dance halls, where the woofers and tweeters in those giant speakers were producing 175 decibels. You’re hearing, like your eyesight, is precious. But once either one is damaged or impaired, it’s for life. It you think you’re working around noise-producing equipment and vehicles, ask your supervisor for a pair of earplugs. They’ll save your hearing.