Abstract
In 2003 the Directive 2003/10/EC has been published by the European Union. It defines the maximum noise exposure levels for workers and the related necessities for hearing protection and for conservation programs. The limits for continuous noise are based on A weighted exposure levels as defined by ISO 1999:1990. For impulse noise the Directive limits the maximum peak pressure level to 140 dB including hearing protection. This single value limit which does not take into account any frequency or duration information is not adequate to evaluate the hazard of an impulse noise and lacks any scientific validation. Although it may not present many problems in industry, for the armed forces it has become a major problem, as it limits training and bans the use of some weapon. Therefore Germany has not implemented this Directive for its forces but uses the Damage Risc Critera (DRC) designed by Pfander. In other countries which have implemented the Directive “As-is”, other criteria based on A-weighted energy (LAex,8h) proposed by Dancer or the AHAAH proposed by Price are taken into consideration for being used. The presentation will discuss scientific basis of the different DRCs for impulse noise in use or being candidate in Europe.
Published Version
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