How Does A Noise Dosimeter Device Work?

When we talk about “noise” in the sense of the workplace, we are talking about any sound that is unwanted and unpleasant to the minds and ears of the people working within these places. It is important to keep sound levels under control, allowing workers to maintain the health of their hearing. For many workers, their day-to-day lives are filled with equipment that produce loud sounds, which is why it is important to monitor them using a noise dosimeter.

There are a number of industries and machinery that produces excessive amounts of noise in our workplaces – recording studios, mining, trucking and other commercial sectors all utilize equipment that, if the sounds they produce are not monitored, could cause severe hearing damage. Whilst a noise dosimeter is useful for monitoring most sound, there are some devices that are specifically designed with a particular noise in mind (such as fireworks and fire alarms).

Some workplaces feel that they can get away with the use of a simple level meter or voltmeter but, as noise contains energy that is spread out over a wide range of frequencies and levels, these devices are completely unsuitable. Even with the use of specialized instruments, a noise dosimeter is generally considered as being far superior to basic sound level meters. A noise dosimeter consists of a microphone, measuring capabilities for two or more dosimeters, and a read-out that has been calibrated in decibels (dB).

Noise dosimeters will generally have a number of settings that allow the worker to adjust how the sounds they are exposed to are measured and how fast the response time to those sounds is. The results of the worker’s day are displayed in a graph on the screen of the dosimeter (that is also saved and can be retrieved later on). As our technology advances, these noise dosimeters have become even smaller in size, allowing the device itself to be clipped to a worker’s belt or kept in a shirt pocket and the microphone to be clipped to the collar of a worker’s shirt without obstructing their movement.

When a noise dosimeter is switched on, the microphone (located as close to the worker’s ears as possible) picks up the same sounds that the worker is hearing and charts their intensity over the working day. The device will then store its results, allowing both the worker and employers to check out what the level of exposure is like and whether any risk to the worker’s hearing has been posed. Remember that, should you be exposed to over 80 dB of noise over an 8 hour period, you will need to wear hearing protection at work.