Monthly Archives: November 2016

CPE is ISO 9001 Certified

November 27, 2016

ISO 9001 Certified

ISO 9001 is a comprehensive quality management system standard. ISO 9001is maintained by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization and is administered by independent accreditation and certification bodies.

Some of the requirements in ISO 9001 include:

A set written procedures covering all processes in the business
Monitoring processes continuously to ensure they are effective
Keeping accurate records
Checking output for defects and taking appropriate and corrective action where necessary
Regularly reviewing individual processes and the quality system itself for effectiveness
Facilitating continual improvement

Benefits of being ISO Certified

Each standard supports its own benefits within every industry, however the common benefits across the certifications screen-shot-2016-11-21-at-1-07-59-pm include: widened market potential, compliance to procurement tenders, improved efficiency and cost savings, higher level of customer service, and therefore satisfaction, and heightened staff moral and motivation.
By having a recognized management standard it allows us to tell our customers that when it comes to quality and industry standards, we are serious about their needs. CPE is proud to be ISO 9001 certified.

ProtectEar USA works with Custom Protect Ear to ensure the Quality of its products.

Custom Protect Ear has been independently audited and certified to be in conformance with ISO 9001. This certification assures our customers that the quality of the products they currently trust to protect their hearing, will be the same quality they will get every time in the future. In addition to being ISO 9001certified, CPE is a member of AIHA (American Industrial Hygiene Association) and the NHCA (National Hearing Conservation Association).

CPE is also a member of the Acoustical Society of America and serves on the standard setting bodies of the ANSI S12 Committee, Working Group 11, responsible for the standards by which hearing protection is measured, as well as CSA S304 Noise and Vibration Technical Committee responsible for CSA’s set of hearing loss prevention standards Z94.2-02.

Learn more..

How to Tackle Thanksgiving Dinner When You Have Hearing Loss

November 23, 2016

Here’s an article for those of us who have hearing loss.

Yes, I’m afraid I too suffer from the inability to hear all the words someone is saying when there’s a lot of background noise or when I’m facing away from them. That’s also the case when I’m not wearing my two hearing aids. The good news is this is a time of year when many of us are fortunate enough to be with people who care about them. Those people will make the extra effort a hearing impaired person asks for. With a little planning and a little forethought, you can make Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, in fact any celebration that much more meaningful for all. And remember, the best way to avoid becoming hearing impaired is to practice “safe hearing”. Avoid noise exposures that will damage the most precious of our senses. Happy Thanksgiving and have a great Holiday Season.

Jeffrey Goldberg ~ Chairman

Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday. Thanksgiving is one of the most family-oriented holidays on the calendar, and it is easily the most “relaxed” of them since it is generally spent entirely at home with family and friends

How to Tackle Thanksgiving Dinner When You Have Hearing Loss

A few months ago, I started a blog Living With Hearing Loss, but It has been a while since my last post. I find it unsettling to talk about my hearing loss, maybe that is why. But as Thanksgiving approaches, I thought it was time to post again, as there might be others out there with hearing loss worrying about the upcoming holiday. Maybe reading this post will help them approach the holiday with more joy and less fear. I hope so.

I always go to my in-laws for Thanksgiving, which is a lot of fun. It is a big group event, with lots of cousins, grown children and seniors. We can sometimes have up to 20 at any given Thanksgiving family meal. There is a lot of energy, but also a lot of noise, with people all talking at once and kids laughing and joking in the background. This is a great recipe for family fun, unless you have a hearing loss. The general noise level makes it hard to hear, and the multiple conversations going at once, makes it hard to follow any of them. Older men often speak very quietly (at least it seems that way to me!) Plus, children can be notoriously difficult to hear, and rarely remember to look at you when they are talking.

But let’s NOT let this be a recipe for disaster! I have been thinking about how to make the most of the holiday and these are my tips. I hope they help. Please let me know your suggestions in the comments.

Living With Hearing Loss’s Tips to Survive and Thrive at Thanksgiving Dinner

Sit in a good spot: For me, it is very helpful if I have a wall behind me and am seated more in the middle of the table.
This gives me a better shot at hearing more conversation and not being distracted by background noise behind me. Maybe you have a spot you like better. Don’t be shy about talking to the host so that your seat is in an opportune spot for you.
Keep background noise down if possible: I try to keep any background music to a minimum. While your host, may like to play music a little more loudly, perhaps you can ask him or her to keep the volume low during dinner.
Converse with those next to you: Don’t try to participate in conversations across large distances. If you would like to talk with someone, move closer to him, or ask that you continue the conversation when you have a chance to be closer together.
Wear your hearing aids: Many of us hate to wear our hearing aids, but they really can help. Experiment with a couple of different settings to find what is optimal. You can even practice at home if you don’t want to spend time experimenting at the event.
Try other technologies: There are many new technologies now available that can help you hear in a group setting including personal FM systems or other one to one communication devices. Some of my friends swear by these.
Have reasonable expectations: You probably won’t hear everything that everyone says, but that is ok. Enjoy talking to the people near you, and then seek out others to talk with during other parts of the party. You might even suggest to the host that people rotate seats for desert.
Bring your sense of humor: It can be hard to keep it all in perspective during the holidays when you feel like you are missing out on the fun, but try to laugh a little and be grateful for the wonderful friends and family around you. You may not hear every word they say, but you can partake in all of the good feelings around the table. Try to enjoy the moment.

Readers, do you have any tips for tackling Thanksgiving dinner when you have a hearing loss? Please comment?

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Does Your Law Enforcement or Emergency Response Job Expose You to Hearing Loss?

November 20, 2016

Law Enforcement or Emergency Response Job & Hearing Loss

Your job is to help and protect the community in which you live but does your Law Enforcement or Emergency Response job expose you to Hearing Loss? Are you the one who needs help and protection?

If you are in Law Enforcement, First Response teams of Police, Fire Fighting or Ambulance are you exposed to high levels of noise that can cause hearing damage? What steps can you and your governing authorities take to ensure your hearing is protected from on-the-job damaging sounds, sirens and high decibel sounds from weapons related devices?

Firefighters File Lawsuits about Hearing Loss

For more than a decade Firefighters have been filing lawsuits against an Illinois-based company that makes sirens. The claims have centered around the concerns that the company that makes sirens did not do enough to design the fire trucks in a way that would shield the Fire Fighters from sound blasts that reach 120 dB. Noise in the range of 120 dB would be equivalent to the noise from a jackhammer about 3 feet away and can cause pain and according to both OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) & NIOSH (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) that level is outside of any time length of exposure for hearing safety. In other words, it is at a daily permissible noise level of 0 minutes!

Exposure to noise (Hearing Loss) from Weapons, support vehicles and equipment

What about Law Enforcement, Military, Security or Correctional Officer jobs? Not only are you exposed to noise from the sudden discharge of weapons related devices but you could also be exposed to noise from Helicopters, sirens from emergency support vehicles and equipment. A jet engine at 100 feet can emit 140dB of noise, a Military Jet Aircraft take-off from an aircraft carrier with afterburner at 50 feet can create 150dB of noise, a 12 Gauge Shotgun blast at close quarters can be as high as 165dB!

Personal (Custom) Hearing Protection Devices (HPD’s)

Most Governmental Workers exposed to noise are supplied HPD’s for use on the job. The importance of HPD’s is that they are the correct style of protection for the environment you will be in. You will need a different hearing protection device for the firing range where the focus will be on as much protection from noise as possible with less need for being able to hear commands or instructions. Learn More.

While on-the-job as a Law Enforcement Official in a situation where there is a strong possibility of weapons being fired, you would require a HPD that is instantly attenuated for gun fire but allows for certain necessary sounds to be heard such as interpersonal and radio communications or equipment.

Are you exposed to these high levels of noise on the job? Are you supplied and correctly using a personal hearing protection device that provides you the correct protection throughout your day? Have you been properly trained in its effective use?

Warning signs of hearing loss

Be aware of what the warning signs of hearing loss are. Understand that tinnitus or ringing in the ears may not be the sound of your background environment but may actually be the beginning signs temporary leading to permanent of hearing loss. Hearing loss due to damage is not reversible and in fact may lead to further damage as your loss of hearing may be causing you to turn up the volume of TV’s, music devices or phones. Recognize that hearing loss may also take the form of selective hearing loss of certain frequencies of sound. You may not hear high pitched sounds of a female or child’s voice but still be able to clearly hear the low pitched sound of a man speaking.

Take caution in your job and protect not only the public in your service oriented career but also take care to protect yourself and your valuable asset of hearing. Learn more about Hearing Protection for Public Security.