Do You Really Need to Wear Hearing Protection When You Work in the Yard

Do not underestimate the importance of wearing earplugs while working in the yard. Whether you have a large or small garden, you probably have at least one power tool that you use often. Power tools such as lawnmowers, leaf blowers, power drills and chainsaws are all extremely loud and can cause permanent hearing loss if used frequently or for extended periods. Here, we take a look at some of the more prevalent ones and the measures you may take to safeguard your hearing.

Do I Need to Wear Hearing Protection for Yard Work?

Eighty-seven decibels (dBs) are the safest level for human hearing. Keep in mind, though, that this offer is only good for a limited time. Noises up to 90dBs can be tolerated for eight hours, whereas noises over 109dBs can cause damage in just two minutes. If you have injured your hearing, you may get tinnitus, which is a ringing or buzzing sensation in the ears. Unfortunately, this warning isn’t often given, therefore hearing loss is sometimes discovered only years after the initial exposure.

Approximately How Loud Are Garden Tools?

Most yard noise comes from lawnmowers, which seem to start up right when you’re trying to take a Sunday afternoon nap out there. A standard lawnmower produces noise levels between 88-94dBs, making it imperative that the user wear protective gear whenever they use the machine.

The 95-105dBs that is produced by leaf blowers is really annoying. There are somewhat high-pitched sounds of air entering and exiting the blower. Because of the large amount of air involved, the noise it generates when sucking air in is comparable to the noise it makes when expelling air. Loud noises of 100dBs can harm your hearing after only 15 minutes.

Fortunately, chainsaws are not widespread in most backyards, because they produce noise levels of up to 109 decibels. In just two minutes, your hearing could be permanently damaged by this amount of noise. It is best when using any tool for yard work to wear hearing protection.

Most people don’t consider drills to be extremely loud, yet they are loud enough to warrant the use of hearing protection. Both duration and decibel level of exposure contribute to hearing loss. When using a drill for several tasks, such as driving screws or when drilling a large number of holes, the user’s ears will be exposed to the tool’s vibrations for extended periods of time.

If you want to limit your exposure to loud noise while working in the yard, using earplugs or earmuffs is an excellent idea. There is a plethora of choices, but which one is ideal? Keep in mind that if your earplugs don’t fit properly or if you don’t wear them, they won’t provide the necessary protection.

As you can see there are many reasons why you should use ear protection when doing yard work. If you have any concerns about hearing protection or have any questions, talk with your hearing instrument specialist.