Episode 47: Impulse Noise Hearing Protection

In this episode Ted Madison, 3M’s former Technical Services Specialist for the Personal Safety Division in the U.S.A. joins us to discuss impulse noise hearing protection. Some of the most dangerous sounds that can contribute to hearing loss are some of the brief noises we hear. These sounds, known as impulse noises are very short, less than one second long, tiny bursts of noise that can be quite loud such as gunfire, an explosion, or the pop of pneumatic nail gun. Very loud impulse noises can cause both mechanical and metabolic damage to the sensory cells in the inner ear, under these conditions the proper selection, fit and use of hearing protection is critical.