{"id":13859,"date":"2017-06-26T12:31:43","date_gmt":"2017-06-26T11:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.audiologist.co.uk\/?p=13859"},"modified":"2023-05-14T18:19:44","modified_gmt":"2023-05-14T17:19:44","slug":"time-to-crack-down-on-the-ear-splitting-driller-killers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.audiologist.co.uk\/time-to-crack-down-on-the-ear-splitting-driller-killers\/","title":{"rendered":"Time to crack down on the ear-splitting driller killers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Why noisy road works need to come with warning signs and diversions<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>&nbsp;<\/em>It\u2019s time that noisy building sites and road works came with warning signs to protect the hearing of passers-by as well as those working on site.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the opinion of a nationwide hearing aid specialist which says that many sites operate with noises well over what is considered safe for people\u2019s long-term hearing, and should take visible steps to protect the public.<\/p>\n<p>According to Yorkshire-based Audiologist, it\u2019s good that site workers are issued with ear defenders, but the public, going about their business nearby, goes unprotected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe average site with a pneumatic drill or heavy machinery can be far louder than acceptable limits,\u201d says Audiologist spokesperson Jonathan Ratcliffe, \u201cAnd often people can be walking mere feet away without any protection.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s particularly worrying for vulnerable people in society, such as the very young, the elderly, or people with already compromised hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The major problem is that a building site jack hammer or road worker\u2019s pneumatic drill can be as loud as 90dB (decibels), where experts agree that exposure to noises above 85dB can be damaging to hearing.<\/p>\n<p>But what\u2019s a mere 5dB difference among friends? Quite a lot says, Audiologist\u2019s Jonathan Ratcliffe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe decibel scale is logarithmic, not linear \u2013 just like the Richter Scale for earthquakes. That means 90dB isn\u2019t five per cent louder than 85, <strong>it\u2019s around one-and-a-half times as loud<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Every 10 dB rise in noise level is double the loudness<\/li>\n<li>For example, 100 dB is <strong>four times<\/strong> louder than 80 dB<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That sort of level might be OK for the public if it were confined to behind the solid fencing of a building site, Audiologist says. But in a town or city street that becomes a real problem for those with sensitive hearing.<\/p>\n<p>So, what should be done?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn an ideal world,\u201d says Ratcliffe, \u201cSite staff should be handing out ear defenders to passers-by. But this isn\u2019t an ideal world, and this is never going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd we know what the public is like \u2013 the poor construction company will go through hundreds of sets of stolen ear defenders in a single day. People love a freebie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Ratcliffe suggests mandatory warning signs that the public are entering an area where they could be exposed to potentially dangerous sound levels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd on top of that, there should be suggested diversion routes to help people find their way past,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a sledgehammer to crack a nut, Audiologist.co.uk argues. There\u2019s a genuine risk that vulnerable people could suffer hearing injuries as a result of exposure to loud industrial noise, and there should be a duty of care on the construction industry to mitigate that risk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the end, it makes perfect sense for the general public to be warned of loud machinery in public places,\u201d says Audiologist\u2019s Jonathan Ratcliffe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat leaves people to take their own judgement as to whether they should walk on past with fingers in their ears, or to take a diversion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s either that or hang on to the day they invest the silent pneumatic drill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not going to happen, either.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why noisy road works need to come with warning signs and diversions &nbsp;It\u2019s time that noisy building sites and road works came with warning signs to protect the hearing of passers-by as well as those &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":13860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"geo":null,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - 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