For the Midterm Flashcards
three things that calibration ensures
1) an audiometer produces a puretone at the specified level and frequency
2) the signal is present only in the transducer in which it is directed
3) the signal is free from distortion or unwanted noise interference
who sells the calibration standards?
the acoustical society of america
three different makers of standards, and who is used in the USA?
ANSI, ISO, and IEC
the ANSI standards are used in the USA
three different parts of puretones which need to be checked during calibration
1) frequency
2) intensity
3) time (both phase and signal duration)
two pieces of equipment that do not yet have calibration standards
ABR and OAE
how often should transducers have their outputs checked?
trimonthly
7 basic pieces of equipment for calibration
1) voltmeter or multimeter
2) condenser microphone (pressure and free-field types)
3) 6cc coupler
4) 2 cc coupler
5) 500g weight
6) mechanical coupler or bone vibrator measurements (artificial mastoid)
7) sound level meter or spectrum analyzer–allows one to read output from an attached microphone input
what is used to check frequency output on an audiometer and how accurate does the audiometer need to be?
- checked using an electric counter (oscilloscope can be used, but is only accurate to 5%
- diagnostic audiometers need to be accurate within 1%, but others need to be only within 3%
how to check linearity of audiometer output
check through transducer by setting to max dB, then reducing in 5dB steps until the output can no longer be read (checks attenuator)
*must attenuate within 1dB
dB allowance for calibrating with artificial ear
- +/- 3 dB from 125-5000
* +/- 5dB at 6000+
under what 2 circumstances when calibrating do you need to have the manufacturer come in to calibrate audiometer
- if the audiometer is off more than 15dB at any frequency
* if the audiometer is off by 10dB at three or more frequencies
what are the two types of noise classifications and the definitions of them
1) transient= impulse of impact noise
2) continuous= noise that remains constant for longer than one second
where is a noise notch?
4kHz but can range 3-6K Hz
what percent of people with noise induced hearing loss are males?
80-90%
what is the walsh-Healey Act and what year was it
1969
*was revised and incorporated hearing conservation into federal law
what and when was the williams-steiger occupational health act
1971
*included te walsh-healey revision, required hearing conservation for all employees in the work force not already covered by walsh-healey
when was the HCA (hearing conservation act)
1983
*stemmed from walsh-healey and is the federal register
what are the 3 fundamental principles all hearing conservation guidelines are based on
- qualify
- abate
- protect
qualify as a fundamental principle of hearing conservation
*evaluate sound exposures in work environments to determine if workers are exposed to sound in excess of what is allowed by federal law
abatement as a fundamental principle of hearing conservation
- is to decrease sound exposures so that guidelines are no longer exceeded
- –must be accomplished before going to the final segment which is protection of personnel
- abatement can be costly and sometimes is economically or technologically infeasible to decrease levels sufficiently to achieve a safe work environment
two forms of abatement
- engineering controls= modification or redesign of equipment. the most effective being elimination at sound source. others include placement of noise shields, baffles, or enclosures
- administrative controls= of noise outputs is impossible to reduce, then it may be appropriate to reduce overall exposure by schedule modification. sometimes this cannot be accomplished due to the need for certain skilled persons at that area