Evaluation of hearing protection efficiency in impulsive noise environments

Abstract

Impulsive noise protection is, generally, dependent only on the HPD selection, which is frequently made considering the attenuation data of the devices. However, the attenuation data of HPD is based on laboratory methods and do not includes data about the devices’ performance when exposed to impulsive noise. The main aim of this study is to analyze the HPD’s performance in real use conditions, namely when in high impulsive noise environments. For this purpose a technique to assess HPD’s real efficiency, similar to MIRE (Microphone In Real Ear), was applied. From the obtained results, it was possible to verify that high impulsive noise exposure is very significant amongst shooting sites users, and that the HPDs most commonly used are, in the majority of the cases, suitable for users’ protection, namely in what concerns the exposure to high impulsive noise.