title: Engineering out the noise.
abstract: The US Navy, through an Office of Naval Research (ONR) lead effort on Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL), is investigating methods and techniques to mitigate hearing loss for the crews and warfighters. Hearing protection is a viable and increasingly popular method of reducing hearing exposure for many ship crew members; however, it has limitations on comfort and low frequency effectiveness. Furthermore, Personal Hearing Protection (PHP) is often used improperly. Proper vessel planning, programmatic changes and advances in noise control engineering can also have significant impacts by inherently reducing noise exposure through ship design and use of noise control treatments. These impacts go beyond hearing loss mitigation since they can improve quality of life onboard vessels and provide enhanced warfighter performance. Such approaches also can be made to work in the lower frequency range where hearing protection is not as effective. This paper describes non-hearing protection methods being implemented to mitigate and control noise within the US Navy and US Marine Corps. These approaches reflect the latest changes to Mil-Std 1474E, Appendix F.
authors.affiliation: ONR, United States.
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yankaskas
authors.affiliation: Noise Control Engineering LLC, United States.
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Noise Control Engineering LLC, United States.
authors.forename: Jesse
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spence
authors.affiliation: Noise Control Engineering LLC, United States. Electronic address: jeffk@noise-control.com.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Komrower
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000401:Aircraft; D001307:Auditory Perception; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D006309:Hearing; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D009326:Naval Medicine; D009623:Noise, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009624:Noise, Transportation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012767:Ships; D014481:United States