November 2007
SOUND ADVICE Ear plugs or muffs are essential when using most power tools.
Protect your hearing from household noise
We’ve long recommended hearing protection when using anything that produces noise measuring 90 decibels or more at your ears, based on 30-year-old standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization now recommend significantly lower exposure levels to protect hearing.
OSHA standards don’t account for the exposure to other noise typical throughout the day. Because noise exposure is cumulative, accounting for other noise lowers the decibel threshold at which hearing is at risk.
As a result, we now recommend wearing ear protection when exposed to 85 dBA or more--a noise level exceeded by nearly all of the mowers and most of the string trimmers we test.
To put those decibel levels in perspective, consider that the sound pressure that threatens your hearing doubles with every 6-dBA increase. Wearing ear protection at 85 dBA rather than 90 dBA significantly reduces the potential for hearing damage.
We’ve long recommended hearing protection when using anything that produces noise measuring 90 decibels or more at your ears, based on 30-year-old standards set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization now recommend significantly lower exposure levels to protect hearing.
OSHA standards don’t account for the exposure to other noise typical throughout the day. Because noise exposure is cumulative, accounting for other noise lowers the decibel threshold at which hearing is at risk.
As a result, we now recommend wearing ear protection when exposed to 85 dBA or more--a noise level exceeded by nearly all of the mowers and most of the string trimmers we test.
To put those decibel levels in perspective, consider that the sound pressure that threatens your hearing doubles with every 6-dBA increase. Wearing ear protection at 85 dBA rather than 90 dBA significantly reduces the potential for hearing damage.
