Preventing NIHL in the
workplace
The fi rst step for both an employer and
employee to take when it comes to NIHL
is to understand exactly what level of
noise poses a risk. This sounds simple,
but is more diffi cult in practice. Anyone
who begins research on the subject will
soon read the advice that sounds above
85 decibels can cause damage over
prolonged exposure – but how, without
equipment, does one link that decibel
metric to real-world sounds? How can a
pump engineer know that the tool he
may be using is causing him damage?
The easiest way possible is by comparison
to other sounds at this level.
Common sounds that are understood to
be around 85 decibels are smoke alarms,
elevators, household blenders, and
handsaws.
With this in mind then, it is easy to
understand the risks pump engineers
face, as the power levels of any machine
pump far exceeds the relatively low
levels of energy needed to power a
household blender or smoke alarm.
Indeed, it is estimated that many items
of workplace machinery emit between
100 and 130 decibels of sound. This
begs the question, then – how can
someone who is employed to work