Hearing protection

[fatelk]

I was out at the range this afternoon. At one point I spent some time picking up brass and such, while some folks a couple bays over were shooting handguns. It's an outdoor range and they were a ways away separated by berms and concrete barriers. It didn't seem loud where I was so I had my ear muffs off. I have excellent hearing so I figured I was fine and it wasn't loud enough to really need hearing protection.

I noticed a funny thing; every time I'd hear a shot, a microsecond later I'd hear a tiny "ting" from my little brass bucket. It was the echo from their shots. I thought it was funny, and just kept doing what I was doing. Now I'm sitting in my quiet house, or at least the quiet end of the house where the kids aren't, and I can hear ringing in my ears. I guess I did need hearing protection after all. Learned me a little lesson there.

[country gent]

The decibel level is much lower for repetitive sounds to cause damage. Also different tone levels affect the ear differently. While not "uncomfortable at the time it may show up later

[TCFAN]

I sure hope the ringing in your ears goes away.I have had ringing in my ears because of shooting with out hearing protection for better than 40 years and it seems to get worse with every passing day.Hearing aids don't help with all of the ringing.

Never go with out good hearing protection.I learned the hard way..............Terry

[XDROB]

No matter what! Always some kind of hearing protection. Even if it's the temp foam ones. For better fit (cost a lot more) moulded plugs for your ears,so if you don't want muffs on at the time. You never know when someone doesn't look or check at the range for everybody to at least ears on and starts shooting

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[Bzcraig]

I'm amazed that I still have great hearing in spite of all the shooting and working in construction most of my life. I never go to the range without wearing my 'ears.' interesting though that last week I stuck on muffs on top of my head but not over my ears on my first shot unintentionally. Was shooting my Rossi 44mag with a light load of Commercial #1. After that first shot I thought that sure was quiet!

[fatelk]

Maybe it's all my safety training at work, but I've become a lot more careful about safety gear in recent years.

I was talking to a good friend's son a while back. He's young, mid 20s, and has a small contracting business. He was talking about a roofing job and how his knees hurt at the end of the day. He scoffed when I asked if he wore knee pads. I told him, seriously, in front of his wife, that he really need to wear them and that he would thank me in 20 years. I have too many friends who have wore their knees out doing that kind of work. Oh, to be young and indestructible again...

[XDROB]

I had a foot injury. Had be non-weight bearing that foot. Tried crutches in house didn't like it. Had a Great idea. Walk around house on knees. DUMB idea tore both knees up. In only two days. Hope gets the knee pads


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[bedbugbilly]

I've been shooting 50+ years not and "way back when", hearing protection wasn't given as much attention as it is now - either leisure pursuits or in the work place and those were the days before OSHA, etc. And, as a result, I have paid the price for it. I have about 20% hearing in my left ear and I can say exactly when the damage happened - and it was from shooting. I was shooting N-SSA and the fellow on each side of me fired at exactly the same time - and I felt it in my left ear. Add on to that a lifetime of working with machinery, saws, etc. in the woodworking industry and it takes it's toll.

I started wearing hearing protection years ago and have never stopped - mostly to protect from further damage and he saw goes for safety glasses and shields. In your description of the range, it was very much like an outdoor range I shot at a couple of years ago - the same thing as you describe. I was picking up bras (we reloaders have no have no shame!) and several were shooting a distance away - one with a 44 mag. I took my muffs off and soon put them back on rather than take any chances.

Nothing "sissy" or shameful about protecting yourself with ear and eye protection and I encourage parents and others to instill that practice in young ones. With good habits formed, possibly they won't end up like me who has to ask my wife to repeat things at times or ask what was said on the TV . . . and maybe they won't have to listen to their spouse saying, "You really need to think about hearing aides! :-)

[dragon813gt]

I'm hoping the ringing in my ears doesn't get worse. I'm in the construction industry but know exactly when the ringing started. It wasn't on the job site. It was at a Cypress Hill concert at Bucknell University. Small college auditorium but they had all the speakers packed in there that they would use for an outdoor stadium show. The first time the bass hit my ears immediately hurt. Had loud ringing for a week. It's died down a lot but I don't know what true quiet is anymore.

I remember the last time I shot w/ out muffs on. Wasn't intentional. I was the only one at the range. Took them off to reload the revolver and forgot to put them back on. Touched off a full power 357 round and paid the price. Hunting is a different story. I really need to add a silencer to one of my hunting rifles.

At work I always wear ear plugs. Safety glasses are a different story. I know I should wear them. But any scratch and my eyes hurt which leads to a headache. Thankfully what I do most days doesn't require safety glasses. But the units are loud so plugs and/or muffs are a must.

[Love Life]

My hearing is really good. it's odd, because years ago my hearing really sucked. the last 12 years of hearing tests have shown normal, followed by down, followed by up. My hearing is now in the above average range.

I am a Nazi about hearing protection on the range, cutting grass, weed eating, etc. When I was doing dirt for Uncle Sugar, I didn't wear earplugs, and touching off M16A4 and M4 rifles in enclosed spaces is painful. Same for the AT4, lol.

Always wear hearing protection. Always.

[FISH4BUGS]

I played in bands from about 12 years old until about 35. I had (and still have) a 1965 Hammond B3 with dual Leslie speakers that were set up on either side of the stage. The one to my right sat about 2 feet from my right ear. I have lost more than half my hearing in that ear. Of course shooting guns without muffs when I was a kid didn't help either.

[jmort]

"My hearing is really good. it's odd, because years ago my hearing really sucked. the last 12 years of hearing tests have shown normal, followed by down, followed by up. My hearing is now in the above average range"

The tests are proof, and I don't doubt it, but I always understood hearing was a one-way deal. The bad one-way deal. I have only set off a single 9mm round in my finished garage and my left ear is still jacked. Have not had it tested, but when it is covered and lot of ambient nature noise disappears that my right ear still picks up. So I will hold out hope. In this you are blessed.

[Kilroy08]

The guys at work look at me like I'm crazy every time I pull out my huge set of Peltor muffs and put them on over plugs. I've had tinnitus since I was a teenager. While I don't, miraculously, have severe hearing loss, I'm very intent on not letting things get worse.

While some shooting without muff didn't help things, my main contributor was music. Between being an older kid/teenager in the Walkman and Discman eras and going to see live music at bars in my twenties, music at gratuitously high decibel levels that would give an OSHA inspector an aneurysm is what did me in.

Today's PSA: Ear buds can absolutely kill your hearing. If the person next to you can hear the music from your ear buds, IT'S TOO LOUD!

[NavyVet1959]

It doesn't have to be loud to cause hearing damage. Repetitive noise hearing loss. If you hear something in a particular frequency range long enough, you go deaf to that frequency range. That's why after we've been married for awhile, we go deaf to the frequency of our wive's voices.

[Artful]

http://dangerousdecibels.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/decibel_exposure_chart.gif

Humans can usually detect a 3 dB difference in direct comparison of noises.
Decibel scale is Logarithmic and ever 6 dB increase is a doubling of the sound pressure

For example:


At 91 decibels, your ears can tolerate up to two hours of exposure.
At 100 decibels, damage can occur with 15 minutes of exposure.
At 112 decibels, damage can occur with only one minute of exposure.
At 140 decibels, immediate nerve damage can occur.

Firearms, firecrackers, and jet engines taking off are all louder than 140 dB. If you find yourself near any of these without hearing protection, use your fingers and plug your ears! And at the same time, move away from the noise — even a few extra feet can reduce the loudness significantly.
We get a sound level drop of 6 dB per doubling of distance.
So if the Gun Shot was at 140 db at 100 feet at 200 feet it would be 134 db
and at 400 feet it would be 128 db.




Noise
Average decibels (dB)


Leaves rustling, soft music, whisper
30


Average home noise
40


Normal conversation, background music
60


Office noise, inside car at 60 mph
70


Vacuum cleaner, average radio
75


Heavy traffic, window air conditioner, noisy restaurant, power lawn mower
80-89 (sounds above 85 dB are harmful)


Subway, shouted conversation
90-95


Boom box, ATV, motorcycle
96-100


School dance
101-105


Chainsaw, leaf blower, snowmobile
106-115


Sports crowd, rock concert, loud symphony
120-129


Stock car races
130


Gun shot, siren at 100 feet
140



As loudness increases, the amount of time you can hear the sound before damage occurs decreases. Hearing protectors reduce the loudness of sound reaching the ears, making it possible to listen to louder sounds for a longer time.

If your workplace has harmful noise levels, plan ahead and wear hearing protection. People who may be regularly exposed to harmful noise because of their jobs include:


Those who work with loud machines, vehicles, or power tools, such as construction workers, factory workers, farmers, truck drivers, mechanics, or airport ground crew workers.
Military personnel.
Police officers and firefighters.
Musicians.

[Love Life]

The tests are proof, and I don't doubt it, but I always understood hearing was a one-way deal. The bad one-way deal. I have only set off a single 9mm round in my finished garage and my left ear is still jacked. Have not had it tested, but when it is covered and lot of ambient nature noise disappears that my right ear still picks up. So I will hold out hope. In this you are blessed.

I am thankful for it.

[Finster101]

My hearing is really good. it's odd, because years ago my hearing really sucked. the last 12 years of hearing tests have shown normal, followed by down, followed by up. My hearing is now in the above average range.

I am a Nazi about hearing protection on the range, cutting grass, weed eating, etc. When I was doing dirt for Uncle Sugar, I didn't wear earplugs, and touching off M16A4 and M4 rifles in enclosed spaces is painful. Same for the AT4, lol.

Always wear hearing protection. Always.


I would imagine in some circumstances having hearing protection on was not optimal for the task. While my electronic ear muffs will enhance small sounds (say someone moving in a room) I cannot imagine wearing them for any length of time in sand box heat.

[Artful]

Electronic Hearing Protection Plugs would be good for Military use I would imagine.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0064/7242/products/Cart_Photos_1b81bc09-aa10-4ad4-a089-a1855ecfdf22.jpg?v=1467923483
http://r1.officer.com/files/base/image/OFCR/2014/03/16x9/640x360/soundgear-fl13-f001029-family-_11324950.jpg
https://9qdzbab944-flywheel.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Defend-Ear-Hunter-Green-300x300.jpg
http://www.sonicscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/earplugs_closeup_300x250.jpg

[elmacgyver0]

Good case for suppressors.

[Finster101]

Good case for suppressors.

But the guy shooting at you may not have one.

[Artful]

But the guy shooting at you may not have one.

Good reason why you want to get them at a distance if possible.

[NavyVet1959]

http://dangerousdecibels.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/decibel_exposure_chart.gif


And extrapolating that down to less intensive sounds, gives us this:



58 dB
4096 hours


61 dB
2048 hours


64 dB
1024 hours



67 dB
512 hours


70 dB
256 hours


73 dB
128 hours


76 dB
64 hours


79 dB
32 hours


82 dB
16 hours


85 dB
8 hours


88 dB
4 hours


91 dB
2 hours


94 dB
1 hour


97 dB
30 minutes


100 dB
15 minutes


103 dB
7.5 minutes


106 dB
3.75 minutes (< 4 min)


109 dB
1.875minutes (< 2 min)


112 dB
.9375minutes (~ 1 min)


115 dB
.46875minutes (~ 30 secs)




Which reinforces what I said about why we go deaf to the frequency of our wives voices. It might take a few years, but it *will* happen.

[Teddy (punchie)]

hearing okay but ringing, buzzing and hum in my ears is bad on this meds I'm on. Never calm always noise.

[WJP]

Mine ring off and on all day. You kind of get used to it. I have shot a few times without ear protection and now use it all the time. Three years of feeling like I had a cotton ball in my left ear was enough. Plugs, muffs, and cans for me.

[XDROB]

While indoors/outdoors I wear my moulded ear plugs and my Pelter Tactical muffs. I've been shooting all my life especially indoors. Never had a problem. Then one day about 8 years ago I was at range. Packing up my gear. At that point the range was quiet. Nobody shooting. Everyone standing around. New shooter is setting up. A couple minutes go and BANG. He starts banging away with a 1911. Everybody starts yelling to cease fire. He Never looked down the line to see if everyone had ears on. CLUB RULE. Apparently this was his second time doing that. He is no longer a member.
End of story I have had tinninitis since then. So since then I don't remove my moulded plugs until out doors.

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[NavyVet1959]

Back in my younger days, no one ever used ear protection. Of course, we *usually* were shooting outside.

[Artful]

In my younger days you stuck 38's in your ears at the range

[Boolseye]

I have significant loss in one ear, other is OK.
Pretty bad tinnitus, too. It bothers me a lot, I'm a musician as well as a shooter.
Protect your ears always. I was always pretty careful but still got hit. Doc doesn't think it's noise induced, MRI was clear. You live with it.

[w5pv]

Last time I was tested I have lost over 60% of my hearing.Now when I shoot I use the soft ear plugs and the ear muffs trying to save what little hearing I have left.I use the muffs and plugs when I am on the tractor or anything that is noisy.It is no fun listening to garble and trying to make sense out of it.My family tells me that I hear what I want and then put my own ending to what is said. They laugh at some of my answers. By all means protect hearing with what ever means it takes.

[XDROB]

Also if you have both use them especially indoors. One way (muffs) protect is they cover the immediate bones around ears that is also part of our hearing (system). Did not know that until my audiologist told me. So I use both.

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[higgins]

It's hard to believe, but there are still people out there that won't accept a pair of disposable plugs or spare muffs if they forget theirs or are not in the habit of using them. Those are the folks that don't seem to wear glasses either. Maybe they're already so deaf they don't need hearing protection.

[Artful]

And extrapolating that down to less intensive sounds, gives us this:



58 dB
4096 hours


61 dB
2048 hours


64 dB
1024 hours


67 dB
512 hours


70 dB
256 hours


73 dB
128 hours


76 dB
64 hours


79 dB
32 hours


82 dB
16 hours


85 dB
8 hours


88 dB
4 hours


91 dB
2 hours


94 dB
1 hour


97 dB
30 minutes


100 dB
15 minutes


103 dB
7.5 minutes


106 dB
3.75 minutes (< 4 min)


109 dB
1.875minutes (< 2 min)


112 dB
.9375minutes (~ 1 min)


115 dB
.46875minutes (~ 30 secs)




Which reinforces what I said about why we go deaf to the frequency of our wives voices. It might take a few years, but it *will* happen.

Actually I have never seen any proof of deafness caused by noises below 60 dB or below - which is what human ears were evolved for. Do you have a link for your putting up this chart?

[NavyVet1959]

Actually I have never seen any proof of deafness caused by noises below 60 dB or below - which is what human ears were evolved for. Do you have a link for your putting up this chart?

I'm just extrapolating your chart downwards. Your chart doubled the time for each 3 dB of increase in sound. Extrapolating downwards confirms the reason why we go deaf to our wives' voices after enough years. :)

[LuckyDog]

I'm just extrapolating your chart downwards. Your chart doubled the time for each 3 dB of increase in sound. Extrapolating downwards confirms the reason why we go deaf to our wives' voices after enough years. :)
Above Should be in purple font. [emoji3]

Oh, and I believe what a professor told me in college. NEVER extrapolate the data!

I've seen some crazy things when someone did that art work.

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[adam_mac84]

I am double protected 100% of the time I am on range. Plugs under electronic hearing-pro. Can still ahve a conversation or hear someone ask a question. I won't go back. I have plugs in almost all of my jackets, and in my car (along with cheap $1.50 eye protection for whenever it is needed). I am still young, but would like to keep all my parts