a reminder too that earplugs and earmuffs will only decrease the decibel level you hear by whatever it is rated. most common disposable earplugs are rated at 29, meaning it will reduce what you hear by 29 decibels. If these cannons produce noise at 162dB, your average earplug will only reduce the sound to 133dB.
one of the tweets lists 130dB as dangerous, and it is, but harm can start at 85dB.
please also remember that earplugs are only effective when inserted correctly. the link below is the source for the above graphic, and it includes instructional videos for using earplugs.
OSHA goes into more detail about prolonged exposure to high decibel levels-
“OSHA requires employers to implement hearing conservation program when noise exposure is at or above 85 decibels averaged over 8 working hours, or an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA).”
TWA has some fun math that I wont get into here, but the higher the decibel level, the significantly less time you should spend exposed before irreparable damage may occur.
“OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) for noise exposure is 90 dBA for an 8-hour TWA and the standard uses a 5 dBA exchange rate. This means that when the noise level is increased by 5 dBA, the amount of time a person can be exposed is cut in half. For example, a person who is exposed to noise levels of 95 dBA (5 dBA above the OSHA PEL of 90 dBA) can be exposed for only 4 hours in order to be within the daily OSHA PEL.”
Say you have basic disposable earplugs when you hear this cannon, so the noise is reduced to 133dB. In order to be within OSHA permissible exposure level, you can only “safely” be exposed to that noise for about 1.5 minutes. if you want something a bit more relatable, say you were at a concert without earplugs and the decibel level is at 125dB. Just after 4 minutes, you could experience tinnitus.
of course the OSHA things are based on a work environment, and sensitivity to sounds will vary from person to person but please please keep your health in mind if you are exposed to high decibel levels for a long time. prolonged exposure can even cause an increase in blood pressure and anxiety- sound has a physical impact to your body. protecting your ears is just the start. take breaks, wear PPE. help each other out there.
