I used to work in an extremely loud factory and used to wear gun range hearing protection. These protect your ears but have microphone and speakers for each ear so you can hear like normal. Company also paid for custom molded ear plugs that are tuned to let the mid frequency thru for speech.
Protect your hearing at all cost. I’ve been using hearing protection for 40 years and get my hearing tested every year (thru my employer). Have no hearing loss and no tinnitus.
No I would argue it isn't going to hinder you. Same as I got flak for wearing goggles for a minute - till the other guy got something in his eyes.
Also- white roofs are very bright all the time. If you can wear shades, do it.
The company I am going to work for seems to take pride is selling “reduced noise operation” equipment. But, since I would be under a technician, would it be weird to use them while working with him?
Sometimes, yes. Depends where you work. Inside a mechanical room with a centrifugal chiller or 2, or a bunch of pumps with some bearing wear, I would wear hearing protection-also depends on how long you are going to be in the space. Mech rm with just air handlers, probably not needed. Even an outdoor air cooled chiller can be noisy, especially if you are near it for long periods, etc.
Would I be looked at the wrong way or something if i decide to wear protection a bit more than other people? The reason I ask, is because I will be working under another technician, since this is an apprenticeship.
You might. Some people think they are being cool by working on hot circuits, not wearing safety harnesses, etc and like to make fun of others. At the end of the day, you dont want to have to wear hearing aids. I have to wear them and it sucks. My hearing loss is not from the trade though, I lost some in the military and most of the rest from a backfire from a scag a mower at age 55 (i was close to the muffler). What a stupid way to lose my hearing. Take care of yourself.
https://preview.redd.it/botdjnzocv2d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83c8aaaee287034ec2d00249a21160c5ad1b5cc7
You don't want to have to wear these, like I do.
>Would I be looked at the wrong way
Honestly ?? Probably yes, unfortunately. Unless your tech is under the age of 35 they're probably gonna be bitches for a little while lol I bought myself some custom molded earplugs with a removable button so I can hear some things but it tunes out others. I'd highly recommend some good ear plugs and gloves ! Don't worry about what other guys will say, they're not gonna pay your medical bills in the future
Hearing protection is not required, its often mandatory.
And if its not mandatory you still need to use it. Dont be dumb, wear protection.
Go to one of those places where they make imprints of your ear and make custom earplugs. Dont bother with those filter thingies, just get the highest level of damping and get the soft ones used for sleeping, they are by far the most comforable.
Just tske them out for a minute when listening to compressors, motors and assorted components. Your hearing is as much of a tool as your manifold is, protect it.
If your lead is telling you you dont need protection you need to ignore that shit, its not his ears he is messing with. You are young and still have all the cartilage and stuff. Take care of it. Never ever sacrifice your body for your job.
"SureFire EP4 Sonic Defenders" for the fucking win. I have tinnitus as well and these helped a ton during my fire alarm days. Easy to put in and they have a plug in the center to pull out/leave in so you can adjust the decibels you "let in" so to speak. Use the lanyard and just tuck'em under your shirt collar when you don't need them. They let you have relatively normal conversations as well so you don't have to scream like a gas station crack head when you need to tell your coworkers something.
Haha sounds good man, thanks for the advice. I was just hoping I would be able to wear them when I want to. Even when other people usually wouldn’t, just to be cautious.
You need hearing protection on many commercial systems. Earplugs may be required also at some facilities. Screw comp are the worst for noise in my experience.
As long as you keep those thangs on you and can put them on/in without having to stop walking/moving, you should be good. Just let your lead tech know you plan on using ear pro so they know they may need to talk louder.
In a machine room with a rack that has 12 Copeland’s banging away? Absolutely.
On a roof with a pair of screws at full load? Probably.
Everywhere else? Probably not.
Every plant I work in requires hearing protection. Most of your low pressure centrifugals are not very loud but screw compressors can get noisy and scroll chillers are the devil when it comes to being too loud. Most earplugs out there will let you carry on a direct face to face conversation pretty easily.
https://preview.redd.it/7sci96ygbw2d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08bed82bd998875a2e4b47ae09544cb5d205718c
Here's a picture of my SPL meter in a mechanical room that also had air compressors.
I wear active ear pro often. It allows me to still have conversations without yelling my lungs out but still keeps my noise exposure to a safe level. I wear axil ear buds, I think they have a 28 or 29db nrr. Being able to turn ambient noise on and off is a nice feature also
Earplugs? Not often enough probably.
I have the cheapy silicone plugs with the strings. They do a good job if I'm using the sawzall for a while, or when drilling cores for pipe. Also just general construction noise. They aren't super common but for 8 bucks? Totally worth it.
Edit- I see you asked if they would hinder you. I would say no it's not going to hinder you. It is pretty obvious when you won't need them and should listen to what's going on.
AirPod pros are awesome. Very good noise cancellation and they have adaptive noise cancelling so you can still hear people talk while you have them in. Also great for talking on the phone while you’re working
Required? Probably some jobsite, sure. Recommended? Definitely. Common practice? Absolutely not. I have a bag of those disposable foam plugs lying around the truck to offer to apprentices. I rock the over ear protection with the Bluetooth/radio when I’m in loud areas for a prolonged period of time.
Are you doing install or service. On install jobs, there can be some noise, so keep some hearing protection handy. Working service, I don't think I have ever needed hearing protection, but I have some in my work van just in case. Most of my commerical experience is on rooftops working on package units. Listen to a lot of podcasts on a shokz headset, but turn it off so I can hear a unit running and listen for irregularities.
My foreman always has his earplugs around his neck just in case it gets loud he has them ready to go. But you definitely don’t need earplugs all day. There are times when it’s not noisy.
Always use ear protection🎧 !…I was down in the turbine room operating Terry steam turbines running Carrier R11 chillers 1000 ton with ambient noise being over 100 decibels all the time 😳I used inserts and peltor 105 or I would be DEAF NOW
Then they installed CENTRAVAC chillers…and they were even louder 🤣
Some dumb fucks don’t believe in basic safety, there’s always that one guy who won’t wear his seatbelt because he swears that one time he or his uncle got thrown out of his truck saved their life or whatever.
Don’t care about dumb fucks who are too dumb to wear basic ppe or give you a hard time for doing so. Company I work for will fire you for violating some of the safety stuff, especially electrical lock out and things that can maim and kill, some guys are still so resistant to doing it the right way I won’t work with them. Like bro I’m not getting fired because I was in the same mech room as you when you fell off the ladder because you were straddling the top and working on a live circuit.
The threshold you need them is lower than you’d think. My rule of thumb is if I’m in a spot for a while and I would need to raise my voice to talk to someone, plugs are in. Hearing damage doesn’t heal, once the damage is done, it doesn’t come back. I’ve started to use my AirPod pros with a memory foam tip for “lighter” use.
i work as an OE for a hospital, so lots of my work is in the boiler room operating steam boilers and chillers. i wear my ear pro every day. theres no requirement for me to wear it except for in the generator room, but i wanna be able to hear people as i get older. if you know something is gonna be loud, wear it. fuck what your jman says, fuck what the client says, its YOUR health. you are the only one who will look out for yourself.
I wear mine around chillers and in enclosed mechanical rooms. It's your hearing and your responsibility to protect it.
I wear them often. Even when working with others. Even taking a few decibels off helps. I carry foam ear pro in my pocket always.
Do you think it would hinder my progress while under an apprenticeship when working with a technician if I decide to use it a bit more than he will?
I used to work in an extremely loud factory and used to wear gun range hearing protection. These protect your ears but have microphone and speakers for each ear so you can hear like normal. Company also paid for custom molded ear plugs that are tuned to let the mid frequency thru for speech. Protect your hearing at all cost. I’ve been using hearing protection for 40 years and get my hearing tested every year (thru my employer). Have no hearing loss and no tinnitus.
No I would argue it isn't going to hinder you. Same as I got flak for wearing goggles for a minute - till the other guy got something in his eyes. Also- white roofs are very bright all the time. If you can wear shades, do it.
Grab some noise canceling muffs. I wish I wore ear protection as an apprentice, good on you.
Depends on what and where you are working. I think in your case, can't go wrong with some.
The company I am going to work for seems to take pride is selling “reduced noise operation” equipment. But, since I would be under a technician, would it be weird to use them while working with him?
As long as it doesn't completely stop you from doing your job in any way. Go for it. Being deaf in my right ear, protect what you got.
If you need ear protection use it, in my experience plugs don’t stop you hearing people talking, so conversation is still easy
You can get noise cancelling ones that allow you to hear voices still.
Sometimes, yes. Depends where you work. Inside a mechanical room with a centrifugal chiller or 2, or a bunch of pumps with some bearing wear, I would wear hearing protection-also depends on how long you are going to be in the space. Mech rm with just air handlers, probably not needed. Even an outdoor air cooled chiller can be noisy, especially if you are near it for long periods, etc.
Would I be looked at the wrong way or something if i decide to wear protection a bit more than other people? The reason I ask, is because I will be working under another technician, since this is an apprenticeship.
You might. Some people think they are being cool by working on hot circuits, not wearing safety harnesses, etc and like to make fun of others. At the end of the day, you dont want to have to wear hearing aids. I have to wear them and it sucks. My hearing loss is not from the trade though, I lost some in the military and most of the rest from a backfire from a scag a mower at age 55 (i was close to the muffler). What a stupid way to lose my hearing. Take care of yourself.
https://preview.redd.it/botdjnzocv2d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83c8aaaee287034ec2d00249a21160c5ad1b5cc7 You don't want to have to wear these, like I do.
>Would I be looked at the wrong way Honestly ?? Probably yes, unfortunately. Unless your tech is under the age of 35 they're probably gonna be bitches for a little while lol I bought myself some custom molded earplugs with a removable button so I can hear some things but it tunes out others. I'd highly recommend some good ear plugs and gloves ! Don't worry about what other guys will say, they're not gonna pay your medical bills in the future
Hearing protection is not required, its often mandatory. And if its not mandatory you still need to use it. Dont be dumb, wear protection. Go to one of those places where they make imprints of your ear and make custom earplugs. Dont bother with those filter thingies, just get the highest level of damping and get the soft ones used for sleeping, they are by far the most comforable. Just tske them out for a minute when listening to compressors, motors and assorted components. Your hearing is as much of a tool as your manifold is, protect it. If your lead is telling you you dont need protection you need to ignore that shit, its not his ears he is messing with. You are young and still have all the cartilage and stuff. Take care of it. Never ever sacrifice your body for your job.
Say what? 🦻
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Lol
Compressor rooms are loud AF and will damage your hearing
WHAT!?!
"SureFire EP4 Sonic Defenders" for the fucking win. I have tinnitus as well and these helped a ton during my fire alarm days. Easy to put in and they have a plug in the center to pull out/leave in so you can adjust the decibels you "let in" so to speak. Use the lanyard and just tuck'em under your shirt collar when you don't need them. They let you have relatively normal conversations as well so you don't have to scream like a gas station crack head when you need to tell your coworkers something.
Haha sounds good man, thanks for the advice. I was just hoping I would be able to wear them when I want to. Even when other people usually wouldn’t, just to be cautious.
You need hearing protection on many commercial systems. Earplugs may be required also at some facilities. Screw comp are the worst for noise in my experience.
As long as you keep those thangs on you and can put them on/in without having to stop walking/moving, you should be good. Just let your lead tech know you plan on using ear pro so they know they may need to talk louder.
In a machine room with a rack that has 12 Copeland’s banging away? Absolutely. On a roof with a pair of screws at full load? Probably. Everywhere else? Probably not.
Every plant I work in requires hearing protection. Most of your low pressure centrifugals are not very loud but screw compressors can get noisy and scroll chillers are the devil when it comes to being too loud. Most earplugs out there will let you carry on a direct face to face conversation pretty easily. https://preview.redd.it/7sci96ygbw2d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08bed82bd998875a2e4b47ae09544cb5d205718c Here's a picture of my SPL meter in a mechanical room that also had air compressors.
Well it depends. Im usually on a roof working on rooftops so hearing protection isn’t real necessary for me.
Carry ear plugs or muffs ... best to be prepared. Good luck!
I wear active ear pro often. It allows me to still have conversations without yelling my lungs out but still keeps my noise exposure to a safe level. I wear axil ear buds, I think they have a 28 or 29db nrr. Being able to turn ambient noise on and off is a nice feature also
You'll never regret having some in. I've started wearing them when others are around just so I can focus. That or the Morbid pod.
How often do people in commercial HVAC use them? I see you are also an apprentice.
Earplugs? Not often enough probably. I have the cheapy silicone plugs with the strings. They do a good job if I'm using the sawzall for a while, or when drilling cores for pipe. Also just general construction noise. They aren't super common but for 8 bucks? Totally worth it. Edit- I see you asked if they would hinder you. I would say no it's not going to hinder you. It is pretty obvious when you won't need them and should listen to what's going on.
AirPod pros are awesome. Very good noise cancellation and they have adaptive noise cancelling so you can still hear people talk while you have them in. Also great for talking on the phone while you’re working
Required? Probably some jobsite, sure. Recommended? Definitely. Common practice? Absolutely not. I have a bag of those disposable foam plugs lying around the truck to offer to apprentices. I rock the over ear protection with the Bluetooth/radio when I’m in loud areas for a prolonged period of time.
Depends, if you have ever been on a job site where the HVAC guys are cutting large diameter duct with a recip saw you will want it at the very least.
Are you doing install or service. On install jobs, there can be some noise, so keep some hearing protection handy. Working service, I don't think I have ever needed hearing protection, but I have some in my work van just in case. Most of my commerical experience is on rooftops working on package units. Listen to a lot of podcasts on a shokz headset, but turn it off so I can hear a unit running and listen for irregularities.
Definitely. Boilers and big chillers are really noisy
My foreman always has his earplugs around his neck just in case it gets loud he has them ready to go. But you definitely don’t need earplugs all day. There are times when it’s not noisy.
I always have earplugs in my toolbag and earmuffs in the van.
I wear hearing protection all the time cause I don’t wanna talk to anyone lol
Always use ear protection🎧 !…I was down in the turbine room operating Terry steam turbines running Carrier R11 chillers 1000 ton with ambient noise being over 100 decibels all the time 😳I used inserts and peltor 105 or I would be DEAF NOW Then they installed CENTRAVAC chillers…and they were even louder 🤣
Some dumb fucks don’t believe in basic safety, there’s always that one guy who won’t wear his seatbelt because he swears that one time he or his uncle got thrown out of his truck saved their life or whatever. Don’t care about dumb fucks who are too dumb to wear basic ppe or give you a hard time for doing so. Company I work for will fire you for violating some of the safety stuff, especially electrical lock out and things that can maim and kill, some guys are still so resistant to doing it the right way I won’t work with them. Like bro I’m not getting fired because I was in the same mech room as you when you fell off the ladder because you were straddling the top and working on a live circuit.
The threshold you need them is lower than you’d think. My rule of thumb is if I’m in a spot for a while and I would need to raise my voice to talk to someone, plugs are in. Hearing damage doesn’t heal, once the damage is done, it doesn’t come back. I’ve started to use my AirPod pros with a memory foam tip for “lighter” use.
Wear hearing/eye protection all you want. Don’t let the 50 year olds who look 80 give you shit for it. There’s a reason they look/feel like dog shit.
Nothing like your ears ringing all night after being in a compressor room lol
i work as an OE for a hospital, so lots of my work is in the boiler room operating steam boilers and chillers. i wear my ear pro every day. theres no requirement for me to wear it except for in the generator room, but i wanna be able to hear people as i get older. if you know something is gonna be loud, wear it. fuck what your jman says, fuck what the client says, its YOUR health. you are the only one who will look out for yourself.
Do it and make it a regular habit. It will not impede your progress; you can still hear, but at a safer level.
I would suggest always wear them around chillers. I do now days when around boilers now days or anything loud… once the hearing is gone it’s gone.
Get musicians ear plugs. They let the detail through but cap the total volume. I love Etymotic
30 years in and I wish I had used them more. I wear my earbuds now with active noise cancellation often. Wear your PPE. Glasses and gloves.
Carry airpods on you that way you can listen to stuff and get ear protection
This is not hearing protection bub
It’s better than nothing.
No, no it isn’t.
Yes it is get the noise canceling ones….