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NOISE & HEARING PROTECTION for WOODWORKERS

Types of Hearing Protection, Health Effects, Noise Control etc.

In terms of woodworking safety, hearing protection often is at the bottom of the priority list. My theory for this, is that hearing loss is incremental, can be easily ignored until its too late and doesn't cause any bloody messes... literally I mean. Twenty years of playing with wood, can leave you at 55 years of age, in a position that you can't hear the voices of your grandchildren. Think about that .. it will become important to you, so stand up and take notice NOW!! That's the mother-in-me "I-Told-You-So-Lecture."

 

Sound originates from a vibrating object. The vibration can be caused by three different mechanisms:

1. air flow, as in the air moving in your dust collector pipes or air passing by your table saw blade and creating turbulence within and around the teeth and expansion slots
2. Friction: between the bed of your planer and the wood it is planing or in tool rotation between the bearing sleeves and the body
3. Mechanical Impact: cutting edges coming in contact with the wood, or motor pulleys engaging the drive shaft

Each of these activities cause vibration that transmits sound waves through water, air or other solids. These sound waves result in variations in the atmospheric pressure in the surrounding environment. Think of the ripples in a pond, when you toss in a small stone.

These variations in pressure are detected by your ears and are interpreted by the brain.

Why should we as woodworkers be concerned with sound?

1. First and foremost might be a conversation about our physical health; stress, hearing loss and fatigue..
2. That might be closely followed by the health of our tools. Changes in noise levels are usually the first indication of tool wear. Successfully identifying unusual sounds will usually prevent expensive repair bills. If these sounds are undetectable above high background noise, it makes preventative maintenance a challenge.

NOISE:
When sound is unintelligible, unwanted or may cause damage to hearing it is referred to as noise. It is the noise we want to get rid of...

I hope this information is helpful..

 

• Measuring Sound: what is noise, how do we measure it........
• Health Effects of Noise Exposure: what are the physical effects of excessive noise and should the average woodworker pay any attention at all?
• Types of hearing protection: hearing protection earplugs and more..what works and what doesn't
• How to Wear Hearing Protection some forms of hearing protection can lull you into a false sense of security if not worn correctly or not appropriate to the environment
• Noise Control Strategies: prevention is ALWAYS more important than protection.. what can you do in your woodworking shop to reduce the noise level?
• Ototoxins: sounds scary ....toxins that attack your ears... is it real, maybe you want my personal story to believe ...

External Links: will open in a new window

Canadian Hearing Society: Great book on all aspects of hearing and noise

International Program on Chemical Safety: a more technical discussion about noise published under joint sponsorship of the United Nations Environment Program and the World Health Organization

 

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