At Oxford Hearing Centre we strongly believe in the old adage 'Prevention is better than cure' so we place a lot of emphasis and resource into sourcing and providing a wide range of noise protection and hearing enhancement products to help you enjoy your natural hearing to the best of it's ability.
Below is a small sample of just some of the things we can do, if you have any questions or specific requirements either give us a call on 01865 861861 or drop us an email at [email protected]
When should I wear hearing protection?
If you are exposed to excessively noisy environments (80 dB or more), you should wear hearing protection. You should also wear them when you are using power tools, noisy garden equipment, or firearms. The table below shows how easy it is to exceed maximum exposure levels.
| Level of noise in dB(A) | Maximum daily exposure time |
|---|---|
| 85 | 8 hours |
| 91> | 2 hours |
| 97 | 30 minutes |
| 103 | 7 minutes |
Being exposed to noise can also cause fatigue and irritability. Some noise level examples (estimates)
| Noise Level | Unprotected | Protected | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60dB | Speech | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| 70dB | Office | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| 85dB | Busy traffic | 8 hours | Unlimited |
| 91dB | Pub | 2 hours | 64 hours |
| 100dB | Factory | 15 minutes | 8 hours |
| 106dB | Nightclub | 4 minutes | 2 hours |
| 115dB | Jackhammer | 30 seconds | 15 minutes |
| 140dB | Gunshot | none | 1.5 minutes |