Referee whistles Part I—Permissible exposures indoors

Abstract

Sound from referee whistles at sporting events is usually relatively short in duration ( 110 dB SPL). Damage risk criteria (DRC) that categorize potentially harmful sounds are usually meant for either continuous or impulsive noise. These types of whistle sounds are better categorized as impulsive. Measurements were taken of a trained referee using a sample of commercially available whistles in a controlled environment. One microphone was placed at the ear of the referee, and another was placed 1 m in front of the referee. Whistle signals were analyzed with a maximum duration of 450 ms, which would be typical of a sporting event. DRC for these impulsive sounds have been investigated using DRC of A-weighted 8-h energy (LeqA8), and the warned and unwarned conditions of the AHAAH model. Depending on the risk model used, the numbers of permissible exposures was as low as zero and extended above.Sound from referee whistles at sporting events is usually relatively short in duration ( 110 dB SPL). Damage risk criteria (DRC) that categorize potentially harmful sounds are usually meant for either continuous or impulsive noise. These types of whistle sounds are better categorized as impulsive. Measurements were taken of a trained referee using a sample of commercially available whistles in a controlled environment. One microphone was placed at the ear of the referee, and another was placed 1 m in front of the referee. Whistle signals were analyzed with a maximum duration of 450 ms, which would be typical of a sporting event. DRC for these impulsive sounds have been investigated using DRC of A-weighted 8-h energy (LeqA8), and the warned and unwarned conditions of the AHAAH model. Depending on the risk model used, the numbers of permissible exposures was as low as zero and extended above.