Abstract
The RNLI operates a fleet of B Class Inshore Lifeboats around the UK and Ireland. To help keep their volunteers safe, crew members wear the Gecko helmet as part of their issued personal protective equipment. Anecdotal evidence from lifeboat crew has shown that wearing the helmet interfered with the ability of volunteers to follow normal conversations and commands given under non-amplified situations. Objective measurements were undertaken at varying angles of incidence to quantify the attenuation of sound provided by the helmet at the location of the human ear along with objective and subjective measurements of the intelligibility of speech while wearing the Gecko helmet. Analysis of data showed that the Gecko helmet provides limited noise attenuation at frequencies above 1kHz. Results of objective and subjective speech intelligibility tests show a reduction in the speech transmission index score when the helmet was introduced into the experiment.
Published Version
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