National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The 3-D reel is a self-teaching aid for drillers and others working at a drill site. The seven scenes illustrate how to properly use foam earplugs and earmuffs. The reel is ideal for use by individuals or during informal tool-box trainings or formal trainings. The accompanying instructor's manual contains information needed to use the training reel for formal and/or group training and is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/pubs/pdfs/2005-107.pdf. The 3-D training reel can be requested from the Pittsburgh Mine Training Publications Office at minetraining@cdc.gov. |
Information Circular 9472
Wearing Hearing Protection Properly:
A 3-D Training Aid for Drillers
By Edward A. Barrett
1 and Roberta A. Calhoun
2
ORDERING INFORMATION
Copies of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
documents and information
about occupational safety and health are available from
NIOSH–Publications Dissemination
4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226–1998
This document is the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted.
Disclaimer: Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by NIOSH.
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005–107
Introduction
Acknowledgment
Training aid summary
How to use the training aid
Performance objectives
Discussion notes
Summary of field test results
Answer key for pretest / posttest questions
Appendices
This Instructor’s Copy contains most of the information needed to use the Wearing
Hearing Protection Properly 3-D training reel. It offers practical suggestions on how to
use the reel as a training aid, performance objectives for deciding if the training is
appropriate for your needs, and discussion notes that provide additional information to
the user.
The 3-D reel was designed as a self-teaching aid that drillers and others who work at a
drill site can use wherever the opportunity for such training presents itself. The latter
could be a company preshift requirement or a tailgate session where workers would
have an opportunity to view and discuss the reel. It could also be an individual looking
at the reel in a pickup truck prior to beginning work at a drill site. The 3-D training reel is
versatile in that it can be used for a small group of persons or for a single worker. For
any of these situations, information is transferred to the individual by viewing each of the
seven colorful, in-depth 3-D scenes and relating the words that appear in each scene to
what is depicted in the visual.
The authors thank Linda J. McWilliams, Statistician, NIOSH Pittsburgh Research
Laboratory, for her assistance in analyzing the experimental data in this document.
The following summary information is provided to help you decide if this training aid is
appropriate for your needs.
Type: |
3-D reel containing seven (7) scenes |
Length: |
Approximately 15 minutes, depending on choice of group or individual
sessions and length of followup discussions |
Skills: |
Inserting foam earplugs properly
Understanding use of both earplugs and earmuffs
Identifying improper use of earmuffs
Recognizing personal responsibility for wearing hearing protection |
Location: |
Surface drill site |
Situation: |
Seven scenes show the proper use of foam earplugs and earmuffs. Each
scene shows workers near a large drill wearing both types of hearing
protection. Words are embedded within each scene that provide
important information. |
There is a related training exercise available entitled
Drill Rig Incident, DHHS (NIOSH)
Publication No. 2005–108 (IC 9473). It can be obtained by contacting NIOSH at:
Telephone: 1–800–35–NIOSH (1–800–356–4674)
Fax: 513–533–8573
E-mail:
pubstaft@cdc.gov
www.cdc.gov/niosh
1. Look at the performance objectives on the next page. Decide if the training aid is
appropriate for your needs.
2. Look at the 3-D reel.
3. Review the discussion notes for each scene in the reel.
4. Decide
how (either group
or individual) and
where (either company training facility
or at the drill site) you want to use the training aid with your employees.
- Have each person take the pretest found in appendix A. Be sure to read the
directions carefully before beginning the pretest.
- Give each person a reel and 3-D viewer. For individual training at a drill site,
these may be left in the cab of the drill or in a pickup truck.
- Demonstrate how to insert the reel into the viewer and how to achieve optimum
lighting (by looking at the sky if outside, or at ceiling lights if inside).
- Have the individual worker or group of workers look at the 3-D reel.
- Have each person take the posttest found in appendix A. Be sure to read the
directions carefully before beginning the posttest.
- As appropriate, review and discuss scenes with the trainee(s). Add your own
ideas. This can be done immediately after the training. This followup is
important in order to reinforce the ideas presented.
Objective
Number |
Capability
Verb(s) |
Description of required performance and conditions
under which it is to occur |
1. EP3 |
Recall
Apply |
Basic procedures for inserting foam earplugs
properly |
2. EM |
Recall Apply |
Basic information for wearing earmuffs properly |
3. HP |
Recognize |
Proper use of hearing protection is an
individual’s responsibility |
4. HP |
Recall
Apply |
Information for wearing double hearing protection |
General Information
NIOSH researchers have observed during drill site visits that hearing protection devices
are often misused. As a result, workers may be exposed to excessive levels of noise
without realizing it because they think they are wearing their hearing protection properly.
The purpose of this training aid is to teach workers about the correct use of hearing
protection.
This 3-D training aid is designed to be self-teaching. The visuals are self-instructional
because each scene contains wording that briefly and simply describes the particular
hearing protection-related activity being shown. As such, no additional information is
needed to explain and reinforce the message.
The 3-D reel can be used either by an individual as informal on-the-spot training or by a
group of workers in a company-initiated instructional effort. After viewing the 3-D reel,
trainees generally look forward to discussing what they see; this serves to reinforce the
lesson. Discussions may be held immediately after completing the training or within the
next few days. Use the information presented here, along with your own ideas, for
dialogue with individual workers or with groups of workers. This will not only help to
strengthen knowledge and skills learned, but will also relate the subject to their personal
experiences and thus become more meaningful for them.
The following discussion notes provide additional information for your use. The notes
are below a 2-D picture of each 3-D scene on the reel. (Note how much more detail can
be seen in 3-D compared to the standard two-dimensional pictures shown here.) Read
through the notes prior to the actual training activity. Incorporate the information you
find here with your own knowledge and make these points, as appropriate, in your
followup discussions.
Scene 1: Wearing hearing protection properly
The two most common types of hearing protection used in the drilling industry are foam
earplugs and earmuffs. To achieve maximum benefit from either of these, they must be
worn properly.
Improper use of both earplugs and earmuffs has been observed among drillers. In
some cases, foam earplugs were not inserted far enough; in others, they worked their
way loose because of head and body movement during work activities. Regardless,
earplugs are of little value if they do not fit snug and well within the person’s ear.
The improper use of earmuffs typically results in an ineffective seal around the ear and
reduced hearing protection.
Scene 2: Roll and squeeze foam ear plugs
Before inserting foam earplugs, they should be rolled into a very thin, crease-free
cylinder. In order to get the diameter of the cylinder as small as possible and creasefree,
you should begin by squeezing the earplug lightly as you roll it between your
forefinger and thumb. Then gradually apply progressively greater pressure as the plug
becomes more tightly compressed.
The earplug may also be rolled in a person’s palms to achieve the thin, crease-free
cylinder. This may be necessary for the person who has small or thin fingers, in which
case the cylinder could end up in a distorted “barbell” shape.
A mistake that some people make is to unintentionally roll the foam earplug into a ball or
cone, instead of a cylinder. This results in a configuration that cannot be inserted very
far into the ear canal and therefore will not provide effective hearing protection.
Scene 3: Pull ear up and back – insert rolled plug
In order for the rolled and squeezed cylinder to be inserted into your ear properly, you
must reach one hand around the back of your head and pull up and back on your outer
ear to straighten the ear canal. If the ear canal is not straightened out, the earplug
cannot slide in far enough because of the natural curve inside your ear. You should be
able to feel when the earplug is in far enough to provide a good seal.
Scene 4: Hold plug in ear until expanded
Foam earplugs must be held in your ear with your finger for 10–20 seconds to allow
them to expand. Then, to ensure the best fit possible, you should release and push
again for another 5 seconds. At this point, the earplug will be positioned entirely within
your ear canal.
Scene 5: Both muffs and plugs for extremely loud noise
Extremely loud noise may include power saws, guns, pneumatic hammers, radio
earphones, and jet airplanes at takeoff.
NIOSH’s guideline for using double hearing protection (wearing both earplugs and
earmuffs) is for noise exposures that exceed 100 dBA over an 8-hour period. In the
mining industry, workplace noise levels of 105 dBA or more over an 8-hour period
require mine operators to ensure the use of both earplug and earmuff hearing
protectors.
Scene 6: Glasses and facial hair can cause a bad seal
The ability of earmuff cushions to seal around the ear is reduced if they are worn over
heavy beards, long hair or sideburns, and the sidepieces of eyeglasses. In these
cases, the seal is likely to be altered, which will result in loss of hearing protection.
To help in maintaining a good seal, it is important that eyeglass sidepieces fit close to
the worker’s head and be as thin as possible.
Scene 7: Wear hearing protection properly
Hearing loss can be prevented by protecting your hearing in every way possible.
This includes wearing hearing protection
both on and off the job.
The responsibility for wearing hearing protection rests with each worker who may
be exposed to loud noise at a drill site.
Hey! It’s Up to You!
… Choose effective hearing protectors
… Wear hearing protectors properly
… Care for and maintain hearing protectors
NIOSH evaluated the 3-D reel,
Wearing Hearing Protection Properly, to determine if it is
effective for teaching drillers about the proper use of foam earplugs and earmuffs.
A simple field experiment was conducted using a sample of 76 persons. The subjects
were voluntary participants recruited from conference workshops (National Drilling
Association and National Ground Water Association) and drilling company training
classes. The procedure used in the experiment was as follows:
Participants were asked to answer eight multiple-choice questions (see appendix A)
related to using both types of hearing protection. They were then told to take as much
time as needed to view and understand the information shown in all seven scenes on
the 3-D reel. Afterward, they were instructed to review their answers in the multiplechoice
test and change any they believed to be incorrect. To accomplish this, two sets
of answer choices were placed on the multiple choice test sheet—one set in blue
(answered before the training), the other set in red (answered after the training). It was
theorized that their decision to change answers would be directly related to what they
learned from viewing the 3-D reel.
The number of correct answers recorded after viewing the 3-D reel (posttest) was
expected to be greater than the number of correct answers recorded prior to viewing the
reel (pretest). Such an outcome would support the belief that subjects could learn about
the proper use of hearing protection from the training aid. Therefore, it would be
concluded that the 3-D reel is an effective training aid for drillers.
The following data were recorded for the experiment:
Subjects had more correct multiple choice answers after viewing the 3-D reel (7.24)
than before (6.13). The change in scores was highly significant. It was concluded,
therefore, that the 3-D training aid was effective for teaching drillers about wearing
hearing protection properly.
Paired T-test
N=76
|
Mean |
Standard
deviation |
t-value |
p-value |
Pretest |
6.13 |
0.998 |
|
|
Posttest |
7.24 |
0.978 |
9.38 |
<0.001 |
Wearing Hearing Protection Properly
1. Which type of hearing protection is it possible to wear improperly?
a. foam ear plugs
b. earmuffs
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
a. foam ear plugs
b. earmuffs
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
2. Before placing foam ear plugs in your ears, you should...
a. roll them in your fingers
b. squeeze them with your fingers
c. roll and squeeze them
d. none of the above |
a. roll them in your fingers
b. squeeze them with your fingers
c. roll and squeeze them
d. none of the above |
3. Foam ear plugs should be inserted into your ear canals by...
a. pushing them in with your forefinger until snug
b. pulling up and back on ears to open up the canal
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
a. pushing them in with your forefinger until snug
b. pulling up and back on ears to open up the canal
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
4. The snug fit of foam ear plugs is achieved by...
a. inserting them into your ear as far as possible, then letting them expand
b. holding them in with your finger until they expand
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
a. inserting them into your ear as far as possible, then letting them expand
b. holding them in with your finger until they expand
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
5. Hearing protection for very loud noise should include...
a. high-quality, well-padded earmuffs
b. thicker foam ear plugs
c. ear plugs plus earmuffs
d. cotton in your ears plus earmuffs |
a. high-quality, well-padded earmuffs
b. thicker foam ear plugs
c. ear plugs plus earmuffs
d. cotton in your ears plus earmuffs |
6. The effectiveness of earmuffs is reduced by...
a. long hair
b. glasses
c. long sideburns
d. both b and c
e. all of the above
f. none of the above |
a. long hair
b. glasses
c. long sideburns
d. both b and c
e. all of the above
f. none of the above |
7. The responsibility for wearing hearing protection rests with...
a. your supervisor
b. your spouse or best friend
c. you
d. the manufacturer of the hearing protection
e. your coworker |
a. your supervisor
b. your spouse or best friend
c. you
d. the manufacturer of the hearing protection
e. your coworker |
8. The responsibility for wearing hearing
protection properly rests with...
a. your supervisor
b. your spouse or best friend
c. you
d. the manufacturer of the hearing protection
e. your coworker |
a. your supervisor
b. your spouse or best friend
c. you
d. the manufacturer of the hearing protection
e. your coworker |
The following contain the pretest / posttest questions that may be administered to the
class or to the individual trainee. Duplicate these for each person in the class
Wearing Hearing Protection Properly
Directions: Circle the correct answer to each question as follows: Use the first set of
answers (normal print)
before looking at the 3-D reel (pretest), and use the second set
of answers (
italic)
after looking at the 3-D reel.
1. Which type of hearing protection is it possible to wear improperly?
a. foam ear plugs
b. earmuffs
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
a. foam ear plugs
b. earmuffs
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
2. Before placing foam ear plugs in your ears, you should...
a. roll them in your fingers
b. squeeze them with your fingers
c. roll and squeeze them
d. none of the above |
a. roll them in your fingers
b. squeeze them with your fingers
c. roll and squeeze them
d. none of the above |
3. Foam ear plugs should be inserted into your ear canals by…
a. pushing them in with your forefinger until snug
b. pulling up and back on ears to open up the canal
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
a. pushing them in with your forefinger until snug
b. pulling up and back on ears to open up the canal
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
4. The snug fit of foam ear plugs is achieved by...
a. inserting them into your ear as far as possible, then letting them expand
b. holding them in with your finger until they expand
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
a. inserting them into your ear as far as possible, then letting them expand
b. holding them in with your finger until they expand
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b |
5. Hearing protection for very loud noise should include...
a. high-quality, well-padded earmuffs
b. thicker foam ear plugs
c. ear plugs plus earmuffs
d. cotton in your ears plus earmuffs |
a. high-quality, well-padded earmuffs
b. thicker foam ear plugs
c. ear plugs plus earmuffs
d. cotton in your ears plus earmuffs |
6. The effectiveness of earmuffs is reduced by...
a. long hair
b. glasses
c. long sideburns
d. both b and c
e. all of the above
f. none of the above |
a. long hair
b. glasses
c. long sideburns
d. both b and c
e. all of the above
f. none of the above |
7. The responsibility for wearing hearing protection rests with...
a. your supervisor
b. your spouse or best friend
c. you
d. the manufacturer of the hearing protection
e. your coworker |
a. your supervisor
b. your spouse or best friend
c. you
d. the manufacturer of the hearing protection
e. your coworker |
8. The responsibility for wearing hearing protection
properly rests with...
a. your supervisor
b. your spouse or best friend
c. you
d. the manufacturer of the hearing protection
e. your coworker |
a. your supervisor
b. your spouse or best friend
c. you
d. the manufacturer of the hearing protection
e. your coworker |
For information about occupational safety and health topics contact NIOSH at:
1–800–35–NIOSH (1–800–356–4674)
Fax: 513–533–8573
E-mail:
pubstaft@cdc.gov
www.cdc.gov/niosh
1 Mining engineer.
2 Safety and occupational health specialist.
Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Pittsburgh, PA.