HEARING LOSS PREVENTION: HEARING PROTECTION AND AUDIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS FY06

NOTE: This page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated.
Current Information can be found at: Hearing Protection and Audibility Considerations - FY07

Objective

To develop recommendations and strategies for mine operators and mineworkers that will improve the audibility of spoken communication and hazard/warning signals in the mining environment while preventing additional cases of noise-induced hearing loss.

Helmet with electronic hearing test devices

Applicable Standards

30 CFR 62
ANSI S3.2
ANSI S3.6
ANSI S3.19
ANSI S3.21
ANSI S12.6

Key Partners

Noise Partnership
Hearing protector manufacturers (Howard Leight, Peltor, etc.)

Stakeholders

MSHA
UMWA
NMA
BCOA
JAHSA

Project Scope

Series of laboratory experiments to identify audibility issues in different mining environments.
Experimentation with different hearing protector technologies (active protection, innovative earplug and earmuff designs, etc.) to determine their effect on audibility.
Analysis to determine interrelation between environments, sound types, and hearing protector types.

Milestones

None

Outputs

Published knowledgebase of effects of different hearing protector technologies in different environments
Web-based interactively searchable interface
Printed guide
Published results of audibility analysis and strategies for improving audibility

Outcomes

None

Page last modified: July 23, 2007
Page last reviewed: July 23, 2007 (archived document)
Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)