Safety is a main concern when working with any kind of industrial equipment such as a vacuum truck.
It is certainly important that all safety procedures be followed and all protective equipment used in order to prevent an accidental injury.
In spite of the knowledge of such basic precautions, there are still times when the risks aren't quite as obvious and it is easier to get the job done more quickly without taking such preventive measures.
One area that is certainly susceptible to such 'risk-taking' is with hearing loss; this is especially important when using a combination vacuum truck unit that does both powerful jetting and vacuuming on the various work that is done to get sewer pipelines clean.
This hard-working unit in particular makes a lot of noise, more so than the normal single use suctioning version.
Exposure to the sound levels common with this unit can certainly add up over the years; the problem is that it does often take years to be noticed - and that's when it is so easy to avoid the use of proper hearing loss safety gear.
Hearing loss, although not always a prevalent thought, is actually a great risk when using any kind of loud equipment which makes it very important to recognize the potential for such an occurrence and protect workers while operating combination vacuum trucks at work sites.
How Hearing Loss Happens The human ear is an intricate and very delicate part of the body that can definitely suffer damage affecting the ability to hear when not properly monitored and protected.
Exposure over extended periods of time to loud noise at 85 decibels or higher affects the inner ear structure in ways that cannot be repaired.
Strong vibrations pass through the eardrum and into the inner ear bones and cochlea, where the vibrations are amplified even more, causing damage.
With enough continual exposure to loud noise such as that generated by a combination vacuum truck, the cochlea's ability to function properly is affected; a ringing sound is produced within the damaged inner ear and normal hearing is affected.
This is important information to know because it is not common knowledge how easy it is to damage the inner ear with 85 decibels during vacuum truck operations; as an example, this level of sound is loud enough that people need to raise their voices to hear each other.
Of course, if the noise level is higher than that, damage occurs more quickly.
Some sounds can be so loud that if heard in close range, immediate and permanent hearing loss can happen.
Most vacuum trucks create noise in the 100-decibel range, so anyone using such equipment daily is at prime risk for hearing loss.
Need For Job Site Hearing Protection There are two ways in which hearing can be protected when operating vacuum trucks:with earplugs or earmuffs.
Neither of these things remove all sound altogether; however, it does reduce the sound to a level that will not cause inner ear damage.
Disposable earplugs are available in a range of noise reduction ratings or NRR as it is known; so it is important to use ones that provide enough protection to lower sound levels well below 85 decibels.
Earmuffs can be used alone or with earplugs if enough protection is not being provided.
In either case, the most important thing is that this safety gear actually be used during every operation.
Vacuum truck pump and motor technology has seen advancements that offer efficient functioning with lower noise levels due to lower rpm's, which benefits both the truck and its operators.
Dealing with 100 decibels and more of constant noise from vacuum trucks does not take long to cause permanent hearing loss when immediate problems such as reduced hearing or ringing in the ears is not actually happening at the time.
For this reason, it is important that operators of these noisy yet productive vehicles understand the risks to hearing and use protective gear every day, without fail!