Turn down that orchestra!
April 25th, 2008 by Rebecca Wasieleski. Posted in Concrete ContractorI read an article about the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and its decision to cut an orchestral piece, “State of Siege” by Dror Feiler, because when played at its intended volume the orchestra was producing a sound that exceeded the new European noise-at-work limit. Apparently, noise-reducing ear-muffs were not an option. At first I thought the regulations silly — those standards shouldn’t apply to art, plus it’s a good loud noise, right? But then I thought about the people I know who have damaged hearing — it’s difficult for them to take part in conversations and frustrating to never be able to hear a waiter read off nightly specials at a restaurant because of background chatter. Hearing protection is an important part of work site safety, especially on the construction site. You might think ear plugs and noise-muffling headphones can be uncomfortable, look funny or are just plain annoying, but once your hearing is damaged there no getting it back. Check out the noise and hearing protection webpage at OSHA and make sure you and everyone at your company has their ears covered or plugged.
April 28th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Rebecca,
You might want to alert you readers to this new innovative product that enables workers in high noise environments to protect their ears from NIHL and still have a conversation.
Sensear has just launched a speech enhancement product that elevates speech above background noise.
Perfect for contruction site employees.
David