Yes it is a real issue. It would keep me awake at night alot. I used to take my own ear plugs to work for that reason, but it was hard to get into the habit of always using them because who wants to roll up a foam ear plug when your hands are soaked in meat juiices? I think companies should be required to provide hearing protection. Some band saws are noisier and squeal louder than others. So it wouldn't surprise me if alot of people who have been blessed with quieter saws are not familiar with this issue. Also the area you are working in could be a factor. If its a wide and open market or a cramped room with four walls there can be a noticable difference in the decibels. I have lost alot of hearing from being a meat cutter in cramped spaces with older saws that squeal like a 100 stuck pigs. Just ask Leon he knows how deaf i am.
I should point out that sense I no longer cut meat, my ears no longer ring and keep me up at night. Are you still cutting? It kind of sounds like you might not be and if your ears are still ringing it might be something else or they were severely damaged on the job.
-- Edited by fdarn on Monday 28th of April 2014 10:54:39 PM
-- Edited by fdarn on Monday 28th of April 2014 10:57:32 PM
Good point. I worked kill floor for 30 years and my ears ring. No hearing protection, had I of know i would of worn anything including those little foam guys.
I also have ringing in the ears constantly. I never stopped to think that it was from the meat saw.
What level did you play your car stereo at when you were a teenager? How many concerts have you been to?
I'm not a doctor. I haven't studied this. But I bet it's not from working in a meat dept. It's from something else, or being 50. Our bodies break down. It's called life. I'd think lots of people who aren't subjected to this type of noise get tinnitus.
Has anyone here read or heard of test results that prove working around band saws and grinders can cause tinnitus. If this happens, it would have to be in wholesale where the machines run all day.
Hearing loss, temporary and permanent, is fairly common in all aspects of the meat industry, from the kill floor all the way through to the wrapper. The meat industry is just noisy. Each location has it’s own unique noise factors. Saws with worn, noisy bearings or poor alignment ( you know, the kind you can hear 2 aisles away ) can be repaired. To check the bearings turn off power remove blade disengage wheel scraper turn wheel slowly by hand it should be smooth and silent check both top and bottom bearings any roughness or noise replace/ call for service. Bearings don’t go bad overnight, sometimes the noise sneaks up so you don’t notice. If you have a Hobart 5801 or 6801 saw and it sounds like a bunch of pennies in a blender it’s probably the motor bearings. Grinders are usually in the cooler in a closed , insulated environment with a lot of other noises like the fans blowing etc.. like fdarn said room acoustics play a big part in raising the noise level . Machines can be fixed.
Occupational Hearing Conservation
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that employers provide hearing conservation programs for their employees in workplaces where noise levels equal or exceed 85 dB(A) for an eight-hour time-weighted average. Here’s where it gets tricky, an increase of only 3 decibels doubles the noise level, so a noise level of 88 decibels is twice as loud as a level of 85. That means your exposure to a noise level of 88 decibels should be limited to only 4 hours. Higher noise levels, lower exposure, and so on.
my ears do not stop ringing help !!@! plus elbow pain ,, hand pain ,,, back pain ...knee etc. & I still love the business !!!!!48 years and counting ,, i am 69 my Father worked here until he was 87 ,, i will never make it !!
Hearing loss, temporary and permanent, is fairly common in all aspects of the meat industry, from the kill floor all the way through to the wrapper. The meat industry is just noisy. Each location has it’s own unique noise factors. Saws with worn, noisy bearings or poor alignment ( you know, the kind you can hear 2 aisles away ) can be repaired. To check the bearings turn off power remove blade disengage wheel scraper turn wheel slowly by hand it should be smooth and silent check both top and bottom bearings any roughness or noise replace/ call for service. Bearings don’t go bad overnight, sometimes the noise sneaks up so you don’t notice. If you have a Hobart 5801 or 6801 saw and it sounds like a bunch of pennies in a blender it’s probably the motor bearings. Grinders are usually in the cooler in a closed , insulated environment with a lot of other noises like the fans blowing etc.. like fdarn said room acoustics play a big part in raising the noise level . Machines can be fixed.......................................
We had a saw with a bad bearing. We found out which one it was by the method you mentioned. It was LOUD. You could hear it throughout the entire store. It's finally fixed.
Hearing loss, temporary and permanent, is fairly common in all aspects of the meat industry, from the kill floor all the way through to the wrapper. The meat industry is just noisy. Each location has it’s own unique noise factors. Saws with worn, noisy bearings or poor alignment ( you know, the kind you can hear 2 aisles away ) can be repaired. To check the bearings turn off power remove blade disengage wheel scraper turn wheel slowly by hand it should be smooth and silent check both top and bottom bearings any roughness or noise replace/ call for service. Bearings don’t go bad overnight, sometimes the noise sneaks up so you don’t notice. If you have a Hobart 5801 or 6801 saw and it sounds like a bunch of pennies in a blender it’s probably the motor bearings. Grinders are usually in the cooler in a closed , insulated environment with a lot of other noises like the fans blowing etc.. like fdarn said room acoustics play a big part in raising the noise level . Machines can be fixed.......................................
We had a saw with a bad bearing. We found out which one it was by the method you mentioned. It was LOUD. You could hear it throughout the entire store. It's finally fixed.
How long did it take to get it fixed? I had to work with a loud squealer for 2 years before the the cheap skate owner got around to fixing it.
Hearing loss, temporary and permanent, is fairly common in all aspects of the meat industry, from the kill floor all the way through to the wrapper. The meat industry is just noisy. Each location has it’s own unique noise factors. Saws with worn, noisy bearings or poor alignment ( you know, the kind you can hear 2 aisles away ) can be repaired. To check the bearings turn off power remove blade disengage wheel scraper turn wheel slowly by hand it should be smooth and silent check both top and bottom bearings any roughness or noise replace/ call for service. Bearings don’t go bad overnight, sometimes the noise sneaks up so you don’t notice. If you have a Hobart 5801 or 6801 saw and it sounds like a bunch of pennies in a blender it’s probably the motor bearings. Grinders are usually in the cooler in a closed , insulated environment with a lot of other noises like the fans blowing etc.. like fdarn said room acoustics play a big part in raising the noise level . Machines can be fixed.......................................
We had a saw with a bad bearing. We found out which one it was by the method you mentioned. It was LOUD. You could hear it throughout the entire store. It's finally fixed.
How long did it take to get it fixed? I had to work with a loud squealer for 2 years before the the cheap skate owner got around to fixing it.
maybe 6 months. A new speed record for the company that I work for
no im not cutting any more but the consent ringing is driving me crazy went to a hearing specialist and all he said was welcome to the world of tinnitus
What ? I can't hear you lol.
