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Environmental Monitoring by Thomas Kwader, Ph.D., P.G. Protect Your Hearing Around the Drilling Site Many of us grew up not taking proper care of our hearing. In my childhood, I had numerous ear infections and my ruptured eardrums caused scar tissue to form. As long as I can remember, I did not hear as well as others around me, but did not wear hearing aids until late in life. I can’t blame all of my hearing loss due to my childhood, I’m sure the firecrackers, loud music, working in a bottling plant, woodworking shop, and being around drilling rigs all contributed. What most of us don’t know is hearing loss can occur with a single event, such as an explosion; or by years of exposure to moderate levels of noise, such as loud music, machinery, firearms, motorcycles, race cars, or jet engines to name a few. One of the most common causes is listening to excessively loud music with headphones or MP3 players with earbuds. Sound is measured in decibels (db) - 75 decibels, or less will probably not cause hearing loss even over long periods of time. Above 75 decibels is cause for concern, and the longer the exposure, the greater the danger of at least some hearing loss. Other decibel measurements include: Heavy city traffic - 85 db Motorcycles - 95 db MP3 player at high volume - 105 db Sirens - 120 db Firecrackers and firearms - 140+ db Hearing loss may be temporary and less damaging if you can shorten your ex- posure time, get further away from the source, and/or reduce the severity with ap- propriate hearing protection (earplugs or earmuffs, usually available at hardware and sporting goods stores). At drilling sites, the loudest noises are the engines, split-spoon hammers, and drill rods (metal on metal) hitting to- gether. Everyone working at the drill rig should have hearing protection on when the rig is drilling. All engines should have good mufflers to minimize their exhaust noise. Drilling crews need to develop a consistent set of hand signals to com- municate in the noisy environment. Get in the habit of wearing the appropriate protection and limit your exposure. Tom Tom Kwader may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com WWDR ’s July issue is in progress! Advertise your products and services to thousands of drilling professionals! Call (850) 547-0102 DE NE : ADLI S Space Reservation - MAY 25 t h Display & Classified Ad Copy - JUNE 1 s t 56 MAY 2016 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®