Noise Dose Meter / Sound Dose Meter

"The dose makes the poison." This summary of Paracelsus' knowledge from the 16^th century does not only apply to substances that are absorbed through food, breathing or the skin. It also applies to various types of radiation that affect the body. It has been known for decades that X-rays, radioactive radiation and excessive noise exposure cause permanent damage to health.

The danger of hearing damage does not only exist at very high sound levels. There is also a risk of permanent hearing impairment if noise levels above a certain level are applied for too long. The cause of noise from the environment or at the workplace often cannot be directly influenced by those affected by the noise. However, if the noise cannot be reduced at the source, it is almost always possible to reduce the exposure through appropriate soundproofing measures or with the help of the personal hearing protection. If the level of the noise cannot be reduced, the duration of the noise exposure should be reduced.

Employers are obliged to protect their employees from health hazards at the workplace. Noise can be perceived, but its effect cannot be objectively assessed without auxiliary tools. Therefore, methods and devices for noise measurement and assessment have been developed. Noise dosimeters determine and store the sound exposure over defined periods of time and evaluate the recorded data according to the defined criteria.

For continuous noise levels and peak noise levels, certain limit and threshold values have been defined based on the evaluation of investigations. Before starting the measurements, care must be taken to ensure that the appropriate criteria for the regulation to be applied are set in the noise dosimeter. If the limit values are reached or exceeded, protective measures must be implemented and the employees informed.

Here is a table with important regulations and limit values for noise dose in the workplace:

With a noise dosimeter, the noise exposure of an employee in the workplace can be determined without much effort. For this purpose, the dosimeter is usually attached to work clothing or a helmet as close to the ear as possible and worn during the working hours to be assessed. At the end of the shift, the data can be read out and used as a basis for the decisions on hearing protection. Some noise dosimeters display the determined values already during the measurement. This gives the user the possibility to react immediately in case of high exposure.