Fall has officially begun and yes, I saw some fallen leaves! Whether you clean your lawn on your own, or hire a landscaping team to do it for you, it is important to know the dangers involved in landscaping. As you know, it requires the use of lots of heavy machinery and items which can result in cuts, electrocution, and even hearing damage.
What you should know:
Hearing damage in the landscaping industry results from operation of machinery like the lawnmowers, hedge trimmers and leaf blowers. As mentioned in a previous blog post on hearing protection, OSHA standards dictate that damage can occur after hearing a noise at 85 decibels for an extended period of time. A standard lawnmower produces between 90 and 100 decibels – which can cause damage if listened to for about seven to eight hours.
For a professional landscaper, that amount of noise exposure is a definitely past the danger threshold of 7 to 8 hours. For the DIY landscaper, while they may not be exposed to 7 hours of machinery noise, they are still exposing their ears to 90- 100dB of noise which can cause damage over time. You know what they say, better safe than sorry, right?
What you should do:
The Moldex earmuffs are great protection for your ears while doing yard work. They are comfortable, look sleek, and are easily removed. If you like to wear a hat for sun protection, no big deal. Your earmuffs can fit fine with a hat. And at Gorvex.com we actually sell earmuffs that are made to be worn with hard hats! If earmuffs don’t suit you, try earplugs – they offer hearing protection too!
Here’s to enjoying the chill in the air and the beautiful colors Fall brings.
