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Uses Personal Protective Equipment and Safety Equipment

Chapter A5 – Uses Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Safety Equipment

Prerequisite Knowledge:

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Topic 1 – Identify Noise Hazards and Hearing Protection

Noise

In an average work week, 25% of our time is spent at our place of employment. The typical construction site contains many noise hazards which, over time, can cause severe hearing damage and permanent hearing loss. While noise can be difficult to quantify, and a breaking point for what is too much noise can be hard to identify, a threshold of 85 dBA has been established as the maximum 8 hour exposure that is acceptable.

Hazards and Noise Reduction

Besides the discomfort arising from extremely noisy environments or long term exposure to loud noises, there are number of safety risks that can arise from an extremely noisy environment:

– A worker may not be able to tell if a machine is on or off
– Communication becomes difficult or impossible
– Physical health problems can be linked to noise exposure such as heart disease
– Short term and permanent hearing loss

While wearing ear plugs can mitigate the risk of hearing loss, the first action to take is to reduce the noise at the source when possible. There are a number of actions that can be taken:

– Place machines on dampening pads and build partitions around them
– Ensure machinery is properly lubricated and aligned
– Ensure blades are sharp or install noise reducing cutters on machinery
– Install acoustic covers on walls and ceiling in the workshop

Timeline Description automatically generated

Most woodworking tools operate at much greater than 85 dBA (see right). It is important to take the above precautions when practical or use PPE such as ear plugs when operating power tools.

Hearing Protection

Hearing protection is provided by one of two PPE: ear plugs and earmuffs. Ear plugs can be made with a number of materials; however, their use remains the same. They are inserted into the ear and block high noise levels from entering the ear drum by dampening the sound waves. Ear plugs are the most effective PPE at reducing sound levels for the user. Earmuffs are over the ear hearing protection which, while providing less effective hearing protection, are reusable and comfortable. For maximum hearing protection, both ear plugs and earmuffs can be used together and are recommended for extremely noisy environments.

Review Questions

  1. List four ways that noise levels can be reduced.
  2. List two hazards that can develop in noisy work environments.
  3. What is the threshold for 8-hour noise exposure?
  4. What PPE should be worn in extremely noisy environments?

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Carpentry Refresher Program Manual Copyright © by Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies-Trades and Industrial is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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