Jérôme Boutin

Measurement of hearing protection devices performance in the workplace during full-shift working operations.

OBJECTIVES The effectiveness of hearing protection devices (HPDs), when used in workplace conditions, has been shown over the years to be usually lower than the labeled values obtained under well-controlled laboratory conditions. Causes for such discrepancies have been listed and discussed by many authors. This study is an attempt to understand the issues in greater details and quantify some of these factors by looking at the performance of hearing protectors as a function of time during full work shift conditions. METHODS A non-invasive field microphone in the real ear (F-MIRE)-based method has been developed for measuring the effectiveness of different HPDs as a function of time in the workplace. Details of the test procedures, the equipment used, and the post-processing operations are presented and discussed. The methodology was developed in such a way that a complete time and frequency representation are possible. The system was used on a total of 24 workers in eight different companies. Work shifts of up to 9-h long were recorded. Various types of earmuffs and one type of molded earplugs were tested. RESULTS Attenuation data reported as a function of time showed, for most workers tested, considerable fluctuations over entire work shift periods. Parts of these fluctuations are attributed to variations in the low-frequency content in the noise (in particular for earmuffs) as well as poor insertion and/or fitting of earplugs. Lower performances than laboratory-based ones were once again observed for most cases tested but also, important left and right ear differences were obtained for many individuals. When reported as a function of frequency, the attenuation results suggested that the few approximations used to relate the measurements to subjective real-ear-attenuation-at-threshold (REAT) data were realistic. CONCLUSIONS The use of individualized attenuation data and performance ratings for HPDs as well as a good knowledge of the ambient noise in the workplace are key ingredients when evaluating the performance of hearing protectors in field conditions.

Comparison of sound propagation and perception of three types of backup alarms with regards to worker safety

A technology of backup alarms based on the use of a broadband signal has recently gained popularity in many countries. In this study, the performance of this broadband technology is compared to that of a conventional tonal alarm and a multi-tone alarm from a worker-safety standpoint. Field measurements of sound pressure level patterns behind heavy vehicles were performed in real work environments and psychoacoustic measurements (sound detection thresholds, equal loudness, perceived urgency and sound localization) were carried out in the laboratory with human subjects. Compared with the conventional tonal alarm, the broadband alarm generates a much more uniform sound field behind vehicles, is easier to localize in space and is judged slighter louder at representative alarm levels. Slight advantages were found with the tonal alarm for sound detection and for perceived urgency at low levels, but these benefits observed in laboratory conditions would not overcome the detrimental effects associated with the large and abrupt variations in sound pressure levels (up to 15-20 dB within short distances) observed in the field behind vehicles for this alarm, which are significantly higher than those obtained with the broadband alarm. Performance with the multi-tone alarm generally fell between that of the tonal and broadband alarms on most measures.

Axisymmetric versus three-dimensional finite element models for predicting the attenuation of earplugs in rigid walled ear canals.

The axisymmetric hypothesis of the earplug-ear canal system geometry is commonly used. The validity of this hypothesis is investigated numerically in the case of a simplified configuration where the system is embedded in a rigid baffle and for fixed boundary conditions on the earplug lateral walls. This investigation is discussed for both individual and averaged insertion loss predictions of molded silicon earplugs. The insertion losses of 15 earplug-ear canal systems with realistic geometries are calculated using three-dimensional (3D) finite element models and compared with the insertion losses provided by two-dimensional equivalent axisymmetric finite element models using 6 different geometry reconstruction methods [all the models are solved using COMSOL Multiphysics (COMSOL, Sweden)]. These methods are then compared in order to find the most reliable ones in terms of insertion loss predictions in this simplified configuration. Two methods have emerged: The usage of a variable cross section (with the same area values as the 3D case) or the usage of a constant cross section (with the same length and volume as the 3D case).

Low frequency finite element models of the acoustical behavior of earmuffs.

This paper compares different approaches to model the vibroacoustic behavior of earmuffs at low frequency and investigates their accuracy by comparison with objective insertion loss measurements recently carried out by Boyer et al. [(2014). Appl. Acoust. 83, 76-85]. Two models based on the finite element (FE) method where the cushion is either modeled as a spring foundation (SF) or as an equivalent solid (ES), and the well-known lumped parameters model (LPM) are investigated. Modeling results show that: (i) all modeling strategies are in good agreement with measurements, providing that the characterization of the cushion equivalent mechanical properties are performed with great care and as close as possible to in situ loading, boundary, and environmental conditions and that the frequency dependence of the mechanical properties is taken into account, (ii) the LPM is the most simple modeling strategy, but the air volume enclosed by the earmuff must be correctly estimated, which is not as straightforward as it may seem, (iii) similar results are obtained with the SF and the ES FE-models of the cushion, but the SF should be preferred to predict the earmuff acoustic response at low frequency since it requires less parameters and a less complex characterization procedure.

A finite element model to predict the sound attenuation of earplugs in an acoustical test fixture

Acoustical test fixtures (ATFs) are currently used to measure the attenuation of the earplugs. Several authors pointed out that the presence of an artificial skin layer inside the cylindrical ear canal of the ATFs strongly influenced the attenuation measurements. In this paper, this role is investigated via a 2D axisymmetric finite element model of a silicon earplug coupled to an artificial skin. The model is solved using COMSOL Multiphysics (COMSOL(®), Sweden) and validated experimentally. The model is exploited thereafter to better understand the role of each part of the earplug/ear canal system and how the energy circulates within the domains. This is investigated by calculating power balances and by representing the mechanical and acoustical fluxes in the system. The important dissipative role of the artificial skin is underlined and its contribution as a sound transmission pathway is quantified. In addition, the influence of both the earplug and the artificial skin parameters is assessed via sensitivities analyses performed on the model.

Systematic evaluation of the relationship between physical and psychoacoustical measurements of hearing protectors' attenuation

The most commonly used methods to measure hearing protectors attenuation can be divided into two categories: psychoacoustical (subjective) and physical (objective) methods. In order to better understand the relationship between these methods, this article presents various factors relating attenuation values obtained with these methods through a series of tests. Experiments on human subjects were carried out where the subjects were instrumented on both ears with miniature microphones outside and underneath the protector. The subjects were then asked to go through a series of hearing threshold measurements (psychoacoustical method) followed by microphone sound recordings using high-level diffuse field broadband noises (physical method). The proposed test protocol allowed obtaining various factors relating the test methods as well as attenuation values and ratings for different protection conditions (open ear, earmuffs, earplugs, and dual protection). Results are presented for three models of passive earmuffs, three models of earplugs and all their combinations as dual hearing protectors. The validity and the relative importance of various terms used to correct the physical attenuation values when comparing with psychoacoustical attenuation values are examined.

Attenuation of hearing protectors: A systematic comparison of subjective and objective measurement methods

A key component when selecting a hearing protector is the noise attenuation offered by the device. The subjective Real-Ear Attenuation at Threshold (REAT) test method is the most commonly used procedure to measure attenuation. On the other hand, with the increase popularity of individual fit testing and miniaturization of electronic components, the Microphone-In-Real-Ear approach (MIRE), and its field counterpart F-MIRE, are becoming more appealing and well suited for estimating attenuation in laboratory or in “real world” occupational conditions. In this approach, two miniature microphones are used to measure sound pressure levels in the ear canal under the protector and outside of the protector. This study presents a systematic evaluation of the various factors relating the subjective and objective attenuation values. Experiments on human subjects were carried out where the subjects were instrumented on both ears with microphones outside and underneath their protector. They were then asked to go through...

Variability of hearing protection devices attenuation as a function of source location

It is of common knowledge, and well documented, that laboratory-measured noise attenuation values of most hearing protection devices (HPD) exceed significantly the attenuation values obtained in real-world workplace environments. Various reasons may explain such discrepancies (lack of training, wearing time, lack of comfort, bad fitting, noise environments, etc.) but very few of them have been studied in details due to the complexity of the problem. This study focuses on the variability of the attenuation of HPDs as a function of the location of the noise source. Laboratory measurements were performed where subjects, wearing a HPD and facing a loudspeaker, were asked to rotate slowly on a rotating chair to simulate dierent angular positions of the head relative to the source. The protected and unprotected sound pressure signals for both ears were recorded as time signals using miniature microphones placed respectively inside and outside the HPD (FMIRE technique). The microphones signals were processed to obtain attenuation values for the dierent angular positions. Results for dierent type of HPD (ear-mus and ear-plugs) are presented and discussed.