Os protetores auriculares são suficientes para proteger a audição?

For complete hearing protection, earplugs shooting are a good start but are not enough on their own. Combining earplugs with earmuffs provides the best protection, ensuring you stay safe in noisy environments like shooting ranges.

Sound Levels of Different Gunshots

Handguns:

9mm pistol: Around 160 dB.

.45 caliber pistol: Around 165 dB.

.22 caliber pistol: Around 140–150 dB.

Rifles:

.223/5.56mm rifle: Around 165–170 dB.

.308/7.62mm rifle: Around 170–175 dB.

.50 BMG rifle: Around 185 dB (extremely loud).

Shotguns:

12-gauge shotgun: Around 165–170 dB.

High-Powered Rifles (e.g., military sniper rifles):

Can exceed 175 dB or more, depending on the caliber.

Sound levels for indoor and outdoor shooting ranges

Below is a table to compare the sound levels Between Indoor and Outdoor Shooting Range:

Key Considerations for Hearing Protection:

Indoor Shooting Range: Due to the high reflection of sound, hearing protection must be more robust. Custom earplugs or earmuffs with high NRR are essential to prevent hearing damage.

Outdoor Shooting Range: While the sound is lower, ear protection is still necessary, particularly for high-caliber firearms. Best earplugs for shooting should still be used for optimal protection.

Quais níveis de ruído podem causar perda auditiva?

A TopriseSafety fornece uma tabela com detalhes sobre os níveis de ruído e os riscos de perda auditiva associados com base na duração da exposição. Por favor, siga as orientações dos fabricantes de protetores auriculares de segurança profissionais conforme abaixo:

A importância de Earplugs Shooting

Given the intensity of gunshot sounds, it’s critical to wear earplugs shooting to prevent hearing damage. Using high-quality ear protection equipment with a good Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) can significantly reduce the harmful effects of these loud sounds.

For higher protection, shooters can also use earmuffs, which can be worn in combination with earplugs for shooting for dual protection. This is particularly important in environments like shooting ranges or when using large-caliber firearms.

Earplugs shooting together with earmuffs?

Let’s work out the estimated sound level with earplugs shooting on:

Assuming the sound level of the shooting range is 130dB, the earplugs shooting under ANSI S3.19-1974 is of NRR up to 31dB. Then the estimated exposure would be 130dB – (31dB – 7dB) = 106dB. That is a sound level, safe for up to 30 minutes to 2 hours.

If wearing earplugs shooting together with earmuffs,

Assuming the sound level of the shooting range is 130dB, the earplugs shooting under ANSI S3.19-1974 is of NRR up to 31dB. The earmuff is of NRR up to 27dB. Then the estimated exposure would be 130dB – (31dB-7dB +5dB) = 101dB. That is a sound level safe up to 2 hours.

In environments of noise up to 130dB, it is likely to cause hearing damage within 2 minutes. However, we could extend the safe time up to 2 hours with the help of earplugs shooting and earmuffs.

Conclusão

It’s not suggested to wear earplugs shooting only for indoor shooting range. It’s highly possible to get hearing damage. But for short time shooting outdoor, it would be enough. The best way is to get dual protection from earplugs shooting and earmuffs in the shooting range, especially for those working there.