Question: When should I wear hearing protection?
Answer: In general, you should use hearing protection when the sound level exceeds 85 dBA. Some examples of activities that typically exceed this level are, mowing the lawn, listening to live music, and using power tools. The acceptable decibel level will depend on the time that you spend in that environment. If the noise level is 85 dBA, you can spend up to 8 hours in that environment. As the decibel level goes down, the amount of time you can spend in that environment goes up and vice versa. There are now many smart phone applications available that measure the decibel level of an environment. It is also important to wear hearing protection in the presence of impulse noises. An impulse noise is a very quick sound which can be just as damaging as constant noise. For the allowable time limit for decibel levels other than 85 dBA, please refer to the table for permissible noise limits by the National Institute for Occupational Safety. Health.
