By Judy Biss
I wear hearing aids, so that makes the subject of hearing loss near and dear to my heart! My hearing loss is due primarily to long term exposure to noisy equipment. Let’s face it, farming is a noisy occupation! The damage to hearing from exposure to loud noise is often undetectable – until it’s too late. Most of us just don’t see the need to wear those annoying hearing protective devices – until it’s too late.
Did you know that hearing loss cannot be reversed? Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Hearing aids are a marvel of science, and I for one am extremely thankful for them. Hearing aids, however, can only enhance the hearing capabilities you have left, and they are expensive. That is why it is so important to preserve and protect your hearing every day!
Below are some facts about hearing and the noise levels of farm equipment. I hope this information will help you make hearing protection a daily habit on the farm, at home, or in whatever work you do.
How loud is too loud?
Damaging noise levels are generated by many kinds of agricultural equipment, such as grain dryers, tractors, combines, livestock, generators, chainsaws, firearms, leaf blowers, air compressors, power tools, and aircraft. If you can’t hear someone talking from three feet away, or if you have to raise your voice to be heard, your surroundings are too loud. Ear pain, ringing in the ears, or muffled hearing after exposure to loud sounds also indicate damaging noise levels.
Sound is measured in “decibels” or “dB,” and, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, noise measured over 85 dB is considered damaging to human hearing over extended periods of time. “Noise induced hearing loss can be caused by a one-time exposure to an intense “impulse” sound, such as an explosion, or by continuous exposure to loud sounds over an extended period of time, such as noise generated in a woodworking shop.”(Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
The louder the sound, the shorter time it takes to cause physical damage to your hearing. The table below illustrates this relationship for common farm equipment. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establishes guidelines regarding exposure to high levels of noise and recommends that hearing protection be used when you are exposed to a minimum sound level of 90 dB for eight hours. However, some individuals have developed noise-induced hearing loss at lower levels. The following table shows the noise exposure levels, maximum time durations set by OSHA, and examples of home and farm equipment with those sound levels.” Source: Hearing loss and protection for agricultural producers. (2012) Farm and Ranch eXtension in Safety and Health (FReSH) Community of Practice. Retrieved from
http://www.extension.org/pages/62258/hearing-loss-and-protection-for-agricultural-producers.
Table 1. Noise exposure levels listed in db (decibels), maximum exposure time durations set by OSHA, and examples of home and farm equipment with those sound levels.
| Duration per day | Sound level dB | Examples of noise source at sound levels |
| 8 hours | 90 | Tractor, combine, or ATV |
| 6 hours | 92 | Tractor or combine |
| 4 hours | 95 | Tractor, grain grinding, combine, or air compressor |
| 3 hours | 97 | Tractor, combine, or shop vacuum |
| 2 hours | 100 | Tractor, pigs squealing, or table saw |
| 1 1/2 hours | 102 | Tractor, combine, or riding lawnmower |
| 1 hour | 105 | Tractor, combine, chickens, or irrigation pump |
| 1/2 hour | 110 | Tractor or leaf blower |
| Fifteen minutes | 115 | Chainsaw |
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