Assessment of noise controls commonly used on jumbo drills and bolters in western underground metal mines.
Source
2004 SME Annual Meeting, Feb 23-25, Denver, Colorado, preprint 04-112. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2004 Feb; :1-7
Abstract
The mining industry has recognized the importance of engineering controls as a primary means of preventing hearing loss. The noise control treatments most commonly observed on drills and bolters during this study were windshields, sound-absorbing material, and hydraulic motor covers. These controls were evaluated on machines at underground metal mines to determine the amount of noise reduction achieved by each control. Results show that absorbing material has very little effect on the noise level. The noise reduction attributable to the motor covers was dependent on the material used to create the cover. Properly installed windshields were the most consistent control.
Keywords
Noise; Noise-control; Engineering-controls; Underground-mining; Metal-mining; Mining-industry; Mining-equipment; Hearing-loss; Noise-induced-hearing-loss; Noise-levels; Noise-exposure; Mine-workers; Noise-measurement
Contact
NIOSH Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA 15236
Document Type
Conference/Symposia Proceedings
Priority Area
Research Tools and Approaches: Intervention Effectiveness Research
Source Name
2004 SME Annual Meeting, Feb 23-25, Denver, Colorado, preprint 04-112
