The Loudest Equipment and How to Protect Operators
Heavy equipment is a necessity on a variety of jobsites, but unfortunately that usefulness can come at high decibels. Methods for noise reduction can keep your equipment crew safe, while it can allow you to work in zones with strict sound regulations and even late at night. If you’re concerned about noise on your worksite, we’re sharing more on the loudest equipment, along with ways to protect machine operators.
Sound levels (dBA) are taken from several studies, as reported by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Backhoe
A backhoe is great for digging trenches and landscaping. While 85 dBA is just under OSHA’s permissible exposure limit, operating a backhoe for long periods of time can lead to hearing loss. Plus, this decibel range can be higher depending if your backhoe has a diesel engine or hydraulic system.
Chainsaw
If you work in the forestry, logging, or landscaping industries, you know how useful a chainsaw can be for quickly taking down trees and branches. Chainsaws rank higher on OSHA’s sound level scale, at 110 dBA.
Concrete Breaker
Concrete breakers are essential for demolishing hard surfaces, such as concrete asphalt, and rock. This type of demolition definitely isn’t done quietly, and concrete breakers create a significant amount of noise with hydraulic machines over 120 dBA.
Dozer
Dozers are powerful machines that are great for heavy-duty earth moving. Whether you’re preparing a jobsite by clearing loose materials or staying on task by pushing soil, dozers have a sound level of 100 dBA and shouldn’t be operated for extended periods of time.
Grinder
When you need to smooth out a rough edge or sharpen materials, a grinder is the tool to use. While grinders vary in size—whether it’s a portable grinder, a bench grinder, or a horizontal grinder—they range from 100–140 dBA, so it’s important to make sure you aren’t operating them for too long.
Forklift
Forklifts are versatile pieces of heavy equipment that are excellent for lifting and moving large loads over short distances. Fortunately, forklifts are a bit lower on the noise level scale. Electric models typically come in at 80 dBA, while diesel- and gas-powered versions are between 85–100 dBA.
Grader
You may spend long periods of time operating a grader, as the time it takes to smooth a surface depends on the conditions of the jobsite. You should take precautions when both working around a grader and operating one, with a noise level as high as 107 dBA.
Paver
Once a surface is graded, a paver can smooth the final asphalt material. Paver sound levels vary between 77–89 dBA. However, the farther away you are (more than 50 feet), the safer you are from the noise levels.
Scraper
Another large piece of earthmoving equipment, a scraper makes efficient work of cutting, loading, hauling, and spreading heavy amounts of materials. Scrapers tend to exceed 110 dBA, which is why wearing ear protection is essential.
Tractor
A tractor allows you to get around your farm or other jobsite quickly, and they can be equipped with dozens of attachments to get more work done. Tractor noise can vary depending on whether the equipment has a cab or no cab and a lighter or heavier load; usually it ranges between 80–100 dBA.
How to Protect Machine Operators
Hearing damage can occur from prolonged use of heavy equipment as well as one-time exposure to a powerful noise. Under the OSHA noise standard, the permissible exposure limit is 90 dBA averaged over a typical eight-hour workday. There are several ways to protect machine operators and others on the jobsite, too.
Wear Protective Equipment
Wearing hearing protection is one of the easiest ways to help reduce noise levels on a jobsite. This personal protective equipment includes earmuffs and foam earplugs. If you are a jobsite manager, you are responsible for selecting, fitting, and maintaining hearing protection for workers.
Use a Sound Level Meter
A sound level meter is a handheld tool that measures sound and noise levels. To use a sound level meter, position the microphone at the operator’s ear level to read the level of the machinery in use. Equipment that is determined to be too loud should be labeled with a hazardous noise sticker.
OSHA also uses a noise dosimeter to track the normal noise exposure over the average workday or the average amount of time on a specific type of heavy equipment.
Create a Sound Barrier
With the help of some advanced planning, you can keep employees safe on a noisy jobsite. One way to do this is to create a sound barrier with materials that absorb noise. Acoustic blankets and curtains, modular panels, acrylic or polycarbonate barriers, and permanent walls are great options.
Arielle Patterson
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