Hearing Protection

[Grouse Feathers]

Grouse Feathers, if you had ever been in the situation to wear hearing aids you would know what your talking about. Aids are Not a "poor supplement" for the hearing one has. They increase the tone that one has a problem hearing and levels the playing field. They are designed for NORMAL sounds, and being around tractors, etc. is not a normal sound. It is amplified to the point of being unbearable. Even an air compressor running if I walk by is way to loud. That is why my remote has an OFF setting and the aids become ear plugs, basically. Don' need any muffs, etc.

Hearing aids are not protective devices and are not rated for hearing protection. Hearing aids are vented to allow for pressure changes and to allow sound into the ear that is still in your audible range. Unless you have un-vented hearing aids designed for hearing protection, you are not protected.
Any good hearing aid has a high limit cutoff so the hearing aid by design will not amplify noise to cause hearing damage. It sounds like the high cutoff in your hearing aids are not working or not adjusted correctly.
Hearing aids are a necessary hearing supplement for many, but electronic devices do not replicate the natural hearing of the ear. While a necessary supplement hearing aids are also a necessary evil. Your hearing is damaged by excessive noise so you need a hearing aid to amplify the sounds in the damaged range. The amplified sounds over time cause more damage in the hearing range that is already damaged.
No I don’t wear hearing aids yet, but after 37 years in power plant I am getting close. I have done the research and know I want to delay the inevitable as long as possible. In the mean time I wear hearing protection with a minimum NRR of 28 dB and will continue to use hearing protection when I make the move to hearing aids.

 

[skeets]

Well I do or should wear them all the time, BUT hell over 30% gone in each ear, how much more can I loose,,,, A LOT,,, I wear rated muffs, working inthe wood shop, and when mowing, and muffs when I shoot. No hearing aids are not designed as hearing protection and they just amplify the frequency your missing.My digital ones work well enough, but in say a large hall like the Benadum Center or Heinz Hall they suck!!! There is no way to reduce the back ground noise, and if it is attenuated enough to block the back ground noise then what you want to hear is also attenuated. Nothing and I mean nothing can ever compensate for hearing loss,, maybe you can hear but its not the same. Cotton balls and cigarette filters are not blocking the frequencies that do the damage trust me, once the hair in the canal are broken they can never be repaired. Always wear hearing protection, use GOOD ones that are rated and never think for one second that your not a man if you use them,,,, remember real men can HEAR

 

[Dalroo]

This is an especially timely discussion for me. I am starting to grow a bit long in the tooth (52), but other than occasional arthritis in the knees, and needing reading glasses, I'm in pretty good shape - except for my hearing.

Years of abuse with no hearing protection is starting to take its toll and as of a test last summer, I have lost 30% in right ear, and 35% in left. It is very concerning to me. I have regular (but not constant) tinnitus, and have an especially hard time with women's voices in settings with lots of background noise - restaurants, auditoriums, etc.

Over the past couple of years I've tried to protect what I have left including good muffs while shooting, on tractor or motorcycle, or working with tools - unfortunately, once it is gone, it can't be restored. I too am going to push off hearing aids as long as I can, but know they are in my future.

I think it is critical to inform younger folks, especially men who are going to be more exposed to these activities, to protect what they've got. Even now, with my issues, there are times I simply forget to throw in earplugs, and man, do I kick myself afterwards.

Younger guys on this forum, be vigilant and religious on hearing protection. Even just tinnitus is a huge annoyance, unless you like bells in your head 24/7.

 

[chieffan]

I am not going to get in a peeing contest with either one of you. Yes, there are times when ear protections is necessary. Running a chin saw of certain tools in a wood shop, etc. Skeets, your digital ones are obsolete if you cannot adjust them to get rid of the back ground noise. A decent pair of digital aids will have a tiny button on the top that shuts of the back pickup and greatly reduces the background noise, especially if you sit near the edge of the room and not in the center. They also will have several setting to vary with the type of sounds around you as well as a volume control. Only time I have had a problem hearing was at one outdoor concert I went to. It was a Country Concert and even with the aids out it was nothing but pure noise. Same concert next night and heard it decent 1/2 mile behind the stage at my camper so it wasn't my aids, it was the noise. I can hear just fine so by your standard I must still be a man after 75+ years. Just running a tractor is not a time when I feel hearing protections is needed, if the tractor has a muffler that is in good condition and not a straight pipe. I wear them running my mower only because the muffs have a radio built in.
Sounds like your the expert on this so I give up. You go your way and I'll go mine. Anyone can be an expert when they cannot see the person they are talking to.

 

[skeets]

My friend you do what you feel is best for you and no mine are not out of date or old a year old is not that out of date,,none the less ,,,I feel that I will save what I have left, and if you feel your a man so be it, for me life is just to fragile a thing to take for granted any more.
And when the grand baby's try to talk to you and when you hear is just a bunch of mumbling,, then you know you have waited to long. It took the babies talking and me, and not understanding them to understand it was already to late for me.
Govern your self accordingly

 

[Daren Todd]

I'm probably a little younger then most of the posters for this thread. Just hit 40 Found out that I'm due for bifocals in another year or so. Installed security systems and fire alarms for 8 years in my 20's. After lord knows how many alarms I've heard in that time. Especially with annual fire alarm tests in schools and commercial buildings. That doesn't count the hours on mowers and chainsaws with out hearing protection as well. I've been tone deaf for over 10 years on the higher frequencies that the fire alarms put out. Noticed the past few years that if I'm in a grocery store or big box store, I can't understand most of what my wife says to me I end up sounding like a parrot when she talks to me in a store. There's a constant "what!! What!!!" Then a "dammit honey, will you yell at me?!"

For the past several years, I faithfully use ear plugs when mowing and sawing. Most of the time, when I use my impact at work too. I figure about the same time I get bifocals, I'll probably need hearing aids as well

 

[Kurtee]

Hearing loss respects no age. I am pushing 60 and have worked in a loud environment for 40 years. Add in the poor mufflers of the equipment that we used as kids and loud exhaust and shooting my hearing is poor. When I get a DOT physical they do a test to check it as I can't make out the whisper method. My doctor recommended hearing protection whenever I use power equipment regardless of the muffler. He also stated to not use the one with the radio in it as you turn it up to hear better and damage the ears more. Take it any way you want, use hearing protection or face the consequences.

 

[Tooljunkie]

I will be blind before im deaf. This i know for sure. Hearing protection is as important as safety toes in your footwear. Regardless of the type of hearing aids a person wears, if they arent designed to protect your hearing you need to take proper steps to protect what you have left.

An older gentleman i know ran dozers his entire life. Havin a chat with him is very stressful. Im typically soft spoken, and i save yelling for when im pissed off.
So to carry on a conversation is quite a task.

Had he known he wouldnt be able to hear his grandkids, im sure he would have taken the proper steps earlier in his life.

 

[chieffan]

All I will say is I have grand kids and can hear them quit well. Also have great grand kids that I understand quite well. As for hearing people, my biggest problem is if there is something, like a TV or Radio playing between the person talking and me. Can hear they are talking but hard to understand due the the voices blending together. As far as seeing I went from tri's to bi's a year ago, same Dr. too. I think we have agreed to disagree and each will do what we think is best for us. And that is the way it should be. No right, wrongs, or indifference's. End of discussion. Have a good day. colder then h_ _ _ at 8° this morning.

 

[Ike]

My dad was hard of hearing and his was from WW2. He was on the big guns and at that time very little for hearing protection. It was hard for him to hear many times when a crowd was there an all were talking. One thing I alway thought was funny is he did not have any hair on the front of his legs. He said when a gun would fire your pant legs would slap your legs and the hair never grew back.

 

[Grouse Feathers]

All I will say is I have grand kids and can hear them quit well. Also have great grand kids that I understand quite well. As for hearing people, my biggest problem is if there is something, like a TV or Radio playing between the person talking and me. Can hear they are talking but hard to understand due the the voices blending together. As far as seeing I went from tri's to bi's a year ago, same Dr. too. I think we have agreed to disagree and each will do what we think is best for us. And that is the way it should be. No right, wrongs, or indifference's. End of discussion. Have a good day. colder then h_ _ _ at 8° this morning.

This isn't or at least shouldn't be about how well you hear. It is about keeping what hearing you have and wearing appropriate protection when in noisy areas. Regular hearing aids are not hearing protection, on or off. What you do from here is up to you, after all when we reach are present ages, we worry less about long term effects and live with the consequences of earlier mistakes. The least we can do is convince those younger to make better choices. And maybe you wearing hearing protection will have an effect on your grand kids.

 

[jackfrank]

Hearing aids are not protective devices and are not rated for hearing protection. Hearing aids are vented to allow for pressure changes and to allow sound into the ear that is still in your audible range. Unless you have un-vented hearing aids designed for hearing protection, you are not protected.
Any good hearing aid has a high limit cutoff so the hearing aid by design will not amplify noise to cause hearing damage. It sounds like the high cutoff in your hearing aids are not working or not adjusted correctly.
Hearing aids are a necessary hearing supplement for many, but electronic devices do not replicate the natural hearing of the ear. While a necessary supplement hearing aids are also a necessary evil. Your hearing is damaged by excessive noise so you need a hearing aid to amplify the sounds in the damaged range. The amplified sounds over time cause more damage in the hearing range that is already damaged.
No I don’t wear hearing aids yet, but after 37 years in power plant I am getting close. I have done the research and know I want to delay the inevitable as long as possible. In the mean time I wear hearing protection with a minimum NRR of 28 dB and will continue to use hearing protection when I make the move to hearing aids.

You are right. Hearing aids cannot protect unwanted sounds. When you are suffering problem to listen to voice each other then you need to use hearing aids to amplify the voice so that you can hear it easily.

But if you use the hearing protection from before then you never suffering from the hearing loss. Once you damage your hearing there is no chance to cure it. That is why you are looking to get the hearing aids.

If you are a rider and you love riding then you definitely use custom hearing protection, if you use then you much protect your hearing.
I want to share a couple of websites so that you cant get a lot of information on how we need to protect hearing?
https://www.bigearinc.com/best-earplugs-and-how-to-choose-in-2019-what-are-the-facts

http://www.theridesofar.com/2013/06/did-you-hear-about-the-secret-to-riding-farther

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D6Q8ijgHWg