OSHA FACT SHEET

December 30, 2019

Laboratory Safety Noise

Millions of workers are exposed to dangerous levels of noise in their workplaces. Over the past 20 years, government agencies have consistently identified noise induced hearing loss as one of the top concerns of workers. Noise in laboratories is a growing concern.

Because of concern about noise in clinical laboratories, accrediting agencies are implementing special emphasis programs on noise reduction in these workplaces. As a result of this concern, the College of American Pathologists added laboratory noise evaluation to their General Checklist for Accreditation.

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SOURCE

www.osha.govOSHA

Noise-cancelling & noise suppressing hearing protection

July 26, 2016

What is noise-cancelling & noise suppressing hearing protection?

You need to wear hearing protection for your work or activity that exposes you to noises loud enough to cause hearing loss. What do you do if you still need to hear voices, instructions or other sounds that are needed for you to work or do your activity safely? Is it necessary to remove your hearing protection in order to hear the lower decibel sounds of conversations?

What is noise-cancelling hearing protection all about?

First let’s get an understanding of how you can cancel out sounds. The principal of creating an opposing or inverse sound wave that cancels out the harmful sounds is used. This is different then noise-blocking or sound –reducing hearing protection that absorbs the sound, blocking it from damaging the ear.

Noise-cancelling devices actually use advanced technology that adapts to your noise environment. Inverse sound waves work when an opposite sound wave or opposite negative sound wave to the harmful noise is produced which then cancels out the harmful sound wave.


noise-cancelling


Choosing the best noise-cancelling hearing protection for you.

You will want to choose the correct hearing protection device that will afford you the proper protection based upon what harmful noises you are exposed to. Questions that you should ask yourself are:

  • Are you exposed to low or high frequencies sounds?
  • How high a decibel level are you exposed to?
  • How long are you exposed?
  • Do you also need to hear other sounds like instructions or conversations?

You may find that a combination of noise-cancelling,  noise-blocking  and noise suppressing would be most effective for you. This can be used to both absorb some sounds and cancel others.

Choose the best option that will protect your hearing and allow you to function safely and effectively.

More about Industrial Noise Suppressing Devices click here 

How does Custom Protect Ear (CPE) utilize this 3D Technology to help your ears?

June 1, 2016

What is 3D printing?

We’ve all heard about 3D and understand the concept of 3 dimensional (3D) viewing but how does that translate into 3D printing?

3D printing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file (picture). The descriptive term for 3D printing is “Additive Manufacturing” which gives us a visual clue as to the process behind 3D printing. The object is actually created through a layering process utilizing specialized 3D scanners and 3D printers.

How does the 3D Printing Process work?

The first step is to create a virtual design or blueprint of the object you want to create. This can be created using a 3D modeling program in a CAD (Computer Aided Design) An existing object can be copied with the use of a 3D scanner. This technology is being used by many technology companies such as Microsoft and Google who have developing hardware to perform 3D scanning. Microsoft’s Kinect is an example of what the future may hold for smartphones and other hand-held devices having integrated 3D scanners. In the very near future this digitalization of real objects into 3D models will be performed as easily as taking a picture on your smart phone is now.

The 3D printing software “slices” the final model into hundreds or even thousands of layers several microns thick in preparation for printing

The second step to the process is sending the finished design to the 3D Printer where the received data is now recreated by bonding very thin layers of resin together into a finished object. There are several different methods and materials used in 3D printing depending upon the object needeDigital Printing d to be manufactured but the one similarity is the use of a layering process.[1]

Depending upon your desired finished product there are several options or types of 3D printing. Some involve heating and solidifying granular material by laser technology with each slice in the needed pattern. This is repeated over and over again with each patterned layer bonding to the previous layer as it cools. Other 3D printers will spool out or deposit material much like an automated glue gun while others use UV light to cure layers of resin.

How does Custom Protect Ear (CPE) utilize this 3D Technology to help your ears?

CPE is using this “cutting edge” technology (literally!) to compliment their existing high quality custom hearing protection.

The digital 3D printing technology used by CPE creates an accurate and precise Hearing Protection Device (HPD). CPE utilizes DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology (the most precise in the market).   The technology provides benefits both to the wearer and to the product development process:

  • Quality in consistency during HPD modeling means accuracy and precision
  • Quality Control during product implementation ensures proper fit for the wearer
  • New designs can now be updated and printed in real time, improving implementation of new design developments.

The DLP technology allows for the ability to add more product features in ways which were not always possible before. For example, CPE can place an employee number or serial number of any size anywhere on the HPD, unlike being limited to the outer surface with traditional technology.

The traditional method of producing ear moulds includes manual physical cutting and grinding of the ear impressions to shape them close to the shape of the finished product. Plaster moulds are then created based on these impressions, and silicone is placed into the prepared moulds.

The final quality performance check (ensuring the HPD is accurate and precise) is completed when the original impression and the new 3D model are overlayed on screen Following this, the moulds are printed in the digital 3D printer. The final HPD is obtained by pouring silicone material into the mould.

The 3D Approach

3D Printing digital moulds

CPE has been using this new 3D approach for almost 3.5 years integrating it with their already custom design method of producing ear moulds for dB Blockers, dB Com and dB Life products. The ability to create complex objects is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry and improving quality and consistency in products produced using this 3D technology.

JUST MORE PROOF THAT CPE IS COMMITTED TO THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH ONGOING RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY IN THEIR BEST PRACTICES.

~ by Howard Raphael 
CEO Custom Protect Ear

 

[1] http://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/